I've got your back, partner
by WittyShenanigans
Summary: Why is her home invaded? Why does the Guildmaster automatically refuse to train her? Why would Maze offer to? The two don't get along, but whether they like it or not, they're stuck together. Original quests. SLIGHT romance?Friendship/partnership Maze
1. The Calm Before the Storm, Intro

**WOW WHAT DID I JUST PROOFREAD THIS AND FALL ON THE FLOOR CRINGING IN SHEER PAIN AND AGONY? You betcha. **

**Anyways, this is a fable story for my fable OC. she isn't that important and is actually there to contribute to the main story. So essentially, the story I'm writing just makes her sound more important than she actually is. Long ass chapters. okay. revamped a little. i mean it. A LITTLE. **

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Hook Coast was an ironic sight to behold, being a beach with snow sprinkled around it like a melted cake. Apparently, according to loud tavern dwellers and foreigners, this was a prime location for vacation getaways. Will begged to differ; there was absolutely nothing but danger around them, one guard on duty at a time, and no access to the outside world. Snow crunched beneath the child's large boots, "You'll grow into them!" her mother's abnormally cheery voice echoed within her head. The eight year old had counted seven less-than-graceful stumbles in the ungainly boots. There was absolutely no doubt that there would be more to follow. The basket weighing heavy in her frail arms did nothing to disprove that all items seemed to be ten sizes too large for her.

Hands red from holding the burden as tightly as possible, Will sighed as a small gray house came into view out of the light fog that had started to form. In the doorway stood a young woman, who had to be no older than her late twenties. Her long, obsidian hair was tied back into a loose ponytail and a worn apron adorned her small frame, hinting that she'd been cooking. "Well! Get inside then, its cold." Her words were grating to the ears, but familiarly warm to Will in a way that she'd never come to comprehend fully. The girl tripped clumsily past her mother who relieved her of the load and gently touched her short black hair. Feeling her mothers' fingers comb through her disheveled mess of hair, Will shook it like an overzealous lion cub imitating its father shaking his full mane. At that moment, she became aware of how much snow had amassed on the top of her head. "Now, I want you to go and get cleaned up, we'll be having a visitor." With a tilt of her head, she eyed her mother questioningly. Obviously feeling no need to explain, she gave her daughter a fairly rough shove, "Go on, get on with it."

The floor creaked noisily, threatening to suddenly break and send Will plunging to her doom below the old house. Skillfully, she avoided the chipped floorboard that had managed to best her for the past couple months. "Not this time." A silent triumph in the form of a grin crossed her pale, childish face. The water ran cold against her red hands, no different from the frigid snow outside. A rather refreshing jolt ran down her petite body as cold water was splashed onto her face, dampening the hair that fell into her eyes. Will wasn't surprised with her own flagrant lack of enthusiasm towards her mother's announcement of a guest, considering the interesting and exotic characters that ventured into her hometown practically every day from near and far.

To sum it up, the kid wasn't going to meet her mother's friend. Instead, she sat at the besmirched window and peered through the smallest clear section of the glass. The sleeve that was used to wipe the window was a fruitless effort for the miasma was gathering outside rather than on the inside where the child sat. In the distance she could see a young guard in his standard red and blue uniform trudging around in the thick snow. Further out stood the lighthouse, the one light that really ever shined in such a dreary place as this. The valiant ray pierced the darkness that clouded Hook Coast. Something irked her; something was going to happen, her mind just couldn't piece together what it would be…yet.

"Almost done?" her mother had sensed it too, the only logical reason she'd followed Will to the small room was to merely find out what was wrong with her usually loud, witty child. The only response was a not-so-convincing nod, but it was all her mother needed. She replied with a silent nod and left the room, the fading sounds of floorboards sighing under her soft, graceful steps were all that the girl could hear.

Often times, her mother had told Will of her adventures in some sort of Guild where she trained as a powerful will user. Concluding that was the origin of her name, she smiled and leaned back against a wooden wall, smirking at the house grumbling 'Ugh, I'm old enough, don't go leaning on me now'

Before her mind had even settled on a firm decision about meeting the mysterious guest, she had an unexpected guest of her own. He went by the name Mr Sandman and, in moments, peach curtains fell over shining blue orbs. Of course, they didn't go down without a fight. Several times, they managed to instantaneously bounce back up, but in the end was no match for the frustrating weight of the sand. Will had a dreamless sleep, and truthfully she enjoyed the tranquility it brought to her busy mind. The calm before the storm, and hell… it was going to be a big one.

Significantly, the room had darkened, indicating that her joyous slumber had been quite long. "Mum?" the first words that instinctively popped out of her mouth. Absentmindedly, Will reached up, touching the tips of her fingers to the un even ends of her dark hair which was barely past her small chin. Knowing better than to get up and start walking around in the dark because of what happened last time, Will sat and contemplated in the darkness. This was no normal darkness, the air had an ominous feel to it like someone…or something was approaching fast. On cue, the room grew chillier and a tiny moan from the house prompted the poor child to flinch. By now she should've been used to the ungodly noises produced by the ancient house. A thump was heard. The sound was definitely from the house, but was made by a person, more constant thumps resounded, growing louder, more frantic. The clamor masked Will's heart pounding hard in her chest. "Mum?" she repeated, seeing her lean body in the doorway. Despite the room being shrouded in blackness, Will could see that a few strands of her mother's hair had been shaken from her ponytail.

Nearly out of breath, she managed a single raspy word, "Will!" Swallowing hard, the woman regained her composure. Cautiously, the pale child stood, but kept her feet rooted to the spot. Not a moment later, she realized that she didn't have to move, for her mother took fast, purposeful strides towards her daughter and hastily knelt in front of her. With only a moment of hesitation she opened her mouth, "We're going to play a game." The look on her mother's face showed off the excitement that a mirrored a child's expression to receiving a new toy. "Hide and seek!" her voice didn't falter, but she'd already lost Will at the word 'game'. Before her mother could explain, Will already bolted for the door only to be seized by her mother's tough grip, "I love you."

"Love you too, no peeking!" thinking not so much of the randomly offered sentiment, Will trotted out the door in search of a clever place to hide. Her mother wouldn't win this time. Oh, she didn't tell her mother how high to count! Stupid mistake, bah, there was enough time. Near the entrance to their house stood a small cupboard that only a youngster of her size could fit into without breaking something imperative. Giggling, Will meticulously shut the little doors with a light click. Getting comfortable, she watched through the miniscule crack to see if her mother would be able to find her.

Resa watched her daughter scramble out the door in a jaunty hunt for a hiding spot. An uncomfortable lump rose in her throat as she lifted herself from the ground, clutching her chest. She'd learned from a young age to never show her true emotions, especially to her innocent little girl. The lump grew as Resa heard the audible click of the cupboard shutting barely twenty paces away. When the house was silent again, Resa's face changed. She now looked like a woman hardened by many years of combat and as unforgiving as the creatures that resided in Albion. Without a single sound from the house, Resa glided across the house to the entrance.

Will's bright eyes had narrowed, hoping that she could see easier through the slit. Out of the fog emerged a bright crimson. The hue didn't settle too well with Will. Soundlessly, she moved deeper within her hiding spot almost hoping to disappear into the dark wood behind her. Perhaps this was the guest that her mother had been so cheery about earlier in the day. Remembering this, the girl relaxed, but remained alert to an extent. Before too long when the man had gotten alarmingly close to their door, Resa came into view.

"Well, well, Resa, you've grown. My dear, is it you?" the voice sent unnerving chills up Will's spine; she shivered, but didn't dare move. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she couldn't, the presence of this stranger seemed to numb her, freeze her to the core. She didn't even bother to analyze what the man was asking. She was focused on her mother whom she'd never seen wear a façade of viscosity that matched that of an injured balverine about to fight for its life. After the man completed his sentence, a look of surprise and realization grew on Resa's face.

"If I admit yes, will you leave and never come back?" her voice was quiet and the question was etched with an odd mixture of relief and desperation..

"My, what an odd request, but nevertheless…." The man went silent, as if he was thinking it over, "Yes." The word slithered from his mouth like a snake with an unpleasant hiss. Resa looked down, which the man presumed to be a nod. A quick glance and smile was shot towards the cupboard in the corner of the room. The last thing she saw was a bright flash of red light, her mother's motionless body on the ground, and then, just as quickly as he'd appeared, he disappeared from sight, along with her mother. The two were gone. What could he want with her mother's dead body? She didn't even get to say a fitting goodbye.

The child froze, confused eyes wide with sheer terror. A body cringing, high-pitched scream boomed through all of Hook Coast, long and agonizing. She yelled, unable to form coherent words. Anyone who was within earshot could easily tell it was a cry of bitterness, fury, and loathing.

Her vengeful cry was cut short by a loud thump of a boot on the ground of the house; a flash of red was visible from tear-blurred eyes. Recklessly, Will lunged out of her hiding place flinging herself at the man who had murdered her mother. Stunned, the man sent her flying across the room with a single swipe of his powerful arm. Will let out an involuntary yelp as she came to a painful collision with the wooden wall. Looking up, the realization hit her that this wasn't the man who had killed her mother. No, he had dark skin and his face was clearly visible. Blue intertwining lines ran along his face and what was evident of his arms. An older man, with neatly kept white hair and not a single strand fell onto his flustered face.

"A child?" the man himself remained utterly lost as he stared incredulously at the child he'd just smacked straight into the wall. The words 'I'm sorry' were already beginning to form on his lips, but Will wouldn't allow him to speak. Overcome with rage, she held her hands out in front of her and felt a inexplicable power surge through her. Quite frankly, it felt good. From her tiny hands blue lightning was cast and shot directly at the intruder. The craggy lines of blue whirled and traveled through the air at an alarming rate, finally hitting the man squarely in the chest. Stunned and gasping for air, the intricately clothed man stumbled backwards, noticeably taken aback by the child's raw power. Frightened, Will charged wildly towards the man, only to be easily held back by his arm. "Calm yourself!" he breathed, still recovering from the assault that had knocked the wind out of him. "I'm not your enemy." He growled when the stubborn girl refused to listen, and kept throwing unsuccessful punches. The desperate flailing that failed to make much of an impact ceased, and eventually fully came to a stop, "Resa? Your mother?" he asked. Glaring at him, she moved her head up and down in reply, 'Where-…" he paused, looked down at the girl, and then placed a hand to his head as if a splitting headache was developing, "My name is Maze, I am the head of the Guild of Heroes." he explained finally.

Maze knew full well that this wasn't the most excellent place to ask questions of the girl, so he turned away from her, his dark robes billowing dramatically as he did so. Will instinctively knew to follow. Distractedly, the man brought a hand to his chest, moving back to how strong her will-power had been. The cold hit Will like a hard ocean wave once she was outside again standing in the freezing snow, "It is customary to give one's name during a first meeting." Maze mentioned.

"I'll give it when I wish." His eyebrows rose in surprise from the biting words of an eight-year-old

"You will learn respect." He turned sharply to face her. Maze's towering height didn't faze her for a moment. She returned the fierce stare with her equally brutal eyes. Having no intention to quarrel with a child who had just lost her mother, Maze pivoted and moved towards the Cullis gate without another utterance. The sound of the water sloshing against the shore grew faint until it was no longer audible. Stopping at the last patch of snow before the Cullis gate, Will shut her eyes and shivered. She'd come back. She just didn't know when or why, but she would. A light blue glow grew stronger until it enveloped her and the stranger. Will's stomach flipped and she pushed back the taste of bile in her throat. "The guild…" Maze stated simply, observing the girl's reaction to the structure that emerged before them. The stone castle's structure was detailed and, though old, looked sturdy. Bright orange flames of the torches glowed and danced as if they retained a life of their own. A person could lose their way in this labyrinth.

Besides Hook Coast, the girl had never been anywhere else, so this was unquestionably the most remarkable moment of her short life. The air was cool and calming in contrast to the dark gloomy aura given off by the ocean back home. Enormous wooden doors stood protectively in front of the guild, intimidating all who approached. To Will, it looked absolutely indestructible. Before too long had passed, Maze had walked on, obviously losing patience with the awe-struck child. "How rude." She stated catching up to him.

"Rude? And not giving me your name after I have given you mine isn't rude?" Will grew silent, having no retort for his comment. Once inside the guild, the girl stayed a good distance away from Maze, but not far enough to get lost. As small and light as her footsteps were they still managed to make a loud sound on the cobblestone. Her arrival attracted the attention of a group nearby. Will didn't understand why they wore the same thing and kept their hoods up. Whispers arose from the group and Will picked up her pace, eyes remaining on the white-clothed group. They had distracted to the point where she squeaked, purely startled when she slammed straight into Maze. She could've sworn she saw him roll his eyes, but the second man in front of her occupied her attention. Silently, she scrutinized him. He was old as well, with that whole wise-man look about him. He wore blue robes and the only hair he had was white facial hair. "A new student for you Guildmaster." Will could tell by the pitch and pattern of his voice that he clearly wanted to get rid of her as fast as possible. The Guildmaster didn't move, scrutinizing the child with narrowed eyes as if he were trying to glimpse the depths her soul.

"Come closer." He whispered, his voice was gentle, a great improvement from Maze's tone. Obeying, she stepped forward and the Guildmaster placed two fingers on her forehead, shutting his eyes in what would be defined as concentration. After a moment of silence, the Guildmaster reeled back, his eyes had grown unnaturally wide with shock, as if Will had unsheathed a dagger and impaled him in the forehead. Alarmed, Maze moved forward, a twinge of concern visible on his face. The group of hooded people had moved closer too, curiosity reigning supreme. "No!" he spat. "It's impossible, we cannot." Maze moved to stand beside the Guildmaster and whispered something muffled into his ear. "Even worse." The man confirmed "My point exactly." He muttered. The girl's breathing was getting harder, not because she was tired, but frustration. Maze noticed and was as well losing what little patience he had that night. "I'm sorry, but there are reasons child." He attempted to appease the child, placing a hand on her shoulder. What was happening? Why was it happening? The wound up murmurs of the spectators grew louder with each passing second. "We simply cannot," he repeated, his tone grew much softer from the moment ago where he'd exploded on the shaken girl. Her breath hitched in her throat.

"Then I shall." Both the Guildmaster and Will turned to face Maze, who stood firmly next to Will. At a loss for words, the Guildmaster stuttered, but in the end remained silent, "She has exceptional will-power, stronger than I've ever seen. She needs… guidance." At the end of his sentence the man trailed off. The listeners nearby had gone into a struck silence. Gripping her by the shoulder, he pushed her past the crowd that had gathered, and ushered her into a room that hadn't been used in years. Puzzled by his own actions, Maze shook his head, wondering why he'd even agreed to this task. His hand flew to his left temple again, "Your training will begin tomorrow. And know this; my training is drastically more difficult than anything the Guildmaster can throw at you… " His visage showed signs of a frown and with an aggravated grunt, he began to stride out.

"Will!" Maze halted, but didn't turn around. "My name is Will." He might have understood better with a full sentence rather than just a simple word. With that, he turned.

"How fitting." He responded. For maybe the first time, Will smiled a childlike smile one that glowed much like the lighthouse from her old home. The corner of Maze's mouth twitched, but before it could actually develop into a full-fledged smile, he walked off still contemplating his impulsive judgment to personally take on an apprentice, one that the Guildmaster obviously did not approve of. Will took a short moment to stick her tongue out at his back and then observed her surroundings. Like the rest of this new castle of a home, the room was made entirely out of stone. In the corner stood a neatly made bed with dark red sheets, larger than the bed she had at home. Despite the fact that this room hadn't been used in a year or two it had been kept fairly neat and clean. The closest thing to her was a round table with a single book set on top of it.

"Creatures of Albion." She read slowly flipping to the first page. Reading was not something she wanted to do in her state, but what she got out of her quick scan was Nymphs, Minions, Screamers, and Scorpions. Along with each name was a small description and picture of each. With a loud clap, Will shut the book and climbed up the high bed. Her eyes shut, but sleep didn't come easy for the girl. The events of earlier in the day flooded back. So much had changed so fast, and here she was about to be trained by this Maze person. Personally, she didn't like him, but then again when did a student ever like a teacher?

A tear…

A single tear slid down her cheek, the leader of the army of droplets that followed obediently behind it. Will buried her face in her pillow allowing the water to soak into the fabric. One heaving sob after another, the child refused to finish and continued letting out her emotions holding back no longer. Swallowing, Will rolled onto her back in bed, her eyes outlined with a light shade of red; the same could be said for the tip of her nose. Stifling her final sniffles, Will closed her eyes and vowed to never shed a tear ever again.

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Thanks for actually trying to read. No seriously.


	2. Oakvale? You? A Hero?

Ah, a rushed chapter, but I sort of wanted to get it in before school started. Constructive criticism is nice, but know that I'm uberly sensitive, so careful, because I might crawl under a pillow and just stay there for the rest of my life. Also, the song lyrics at the beginning and the end of the chapter are from two different songs. The first is "I'm still here." By John Reznik and the one at the end is 'Empty Life' by Ashley Tran.

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_And what did you think you'd ever __see?_

_I **won't** listen anyway._

This was madness, pure insane madness, what was Maze trying to do, bore her to death? By quests, Will automatically assumed that they'd be out showing bandits who's boss, not stuck in Bowerstone North listening to 'What Old people do for fun 101'. Will shifted her position on the roof of the yellow house, a small slip and she'd slide straight down onto the unsuspecting chickens down below. They clucked and scratched at the ground and they were really beginning to irritate Will in a way that she just wanted to line them up and kick them one by one. It'd been a while since Will had first come to the guild, for some reason, she hadn't aged very much, she only looked thirteen years old when in reality she should have looked at least seventeen. That was really of no importance of Will, at the moment she was desperately trying to decipher what words were coming out of the old will-user's mouth. There were actually up sides to being stuck with Maze all of the time, Will wasn't trapped at the Guild 24/7, but was able to come on quests like these with Maze. "Quest? Bah." Will reached out a gloved hand to grab onto the ledge, but lost her balance. Desperately, she grabbed onto a shingle, but had kicked a high amount of hay in the process, sending it floating down to the ground below. "This is torture." The apprentice pulled herself back up onto the covering.

See, what Maze did was, he took her on these missions that were purposely made to bore her to tears, but when there was actual danger on the horizon he'd tell her to stay in the guild. 'You aren't ready' was his favorite excuse. Will concluded that she'd rather be stuck scrubbing floors at the Guild and receiving accusing looks from the Guildmaster rather than enduring this agony. Then again, none of the apprentices were actually allowed to leave the Guild, so maybe this was considered a…treat? Why couldn't she go in anyways? Who was Maze chatting away with?

"OI! What 'er you doin' up there!" Will glanced downwards to see the familiar sight of a bulky man in a blue and red guard uniform. His sword already unsheathed, he waved it angrily in the air. As far as he knew, this kid was always causing a ruckus in the town. Will knew he was too fat to actually climb up after her, but oh well she'd climb down. Her foot slipped once more as she tried to find a firm place to put her foot, "Careful up there!" the guard's gruff voice called from below. Oh why did the damn house have to be so high? The apprentice held on with two hands, her entire frame dangling from a single roof shingle. She then noticed that she was in plain view of the residents within the house for she was swinging right in front of their crystal clear windows; there stood Maze staring at her in an oh-no-not-again, manner.

"Shoot! I didn't think this through." Before any other characters could be identified within the house, her aching fingers gave out and she fell… hard, disturbing a few of the chickens in the process. "Hey Ivan!" cursing silently, the guard grabbed her roughly by the arm and held her against the wall, "Lost weight? Love the moustache idea, very stunning." The sarcastic edge in her voice was detected quite simply. Some men carrying boxes had halted their daily work to catch some entertainment from Will's antics. The fuming guard growled and was about to say something until he was interrupted from a voice behind him.

"Will!" Maze's voice boomed, scaring most everyone around him including the guard who, out of shock, loosened his grip on the girl.

"Great" Will exhaled.

"I'll handle this." He placed a reassuring hand on the guard's shoulder. Ivan walked of still shaking his head, but glad to be rid of the girl. A smug grin had formed on the girl's face as she walked side by side with her teacher back to Bowerstone South. The wooden doors opened with a loud groan as the pair passed, the guard at his post nodded with respect. Maze received greets and a few cheers in thick cockney accents from some of the residents. Unlike Will, he was highly appreciated by those who heard about him and his deeds. When the two were out of sight, Maze turned to his apprentice. "Do you deliberately disobey me?" He asked sincerely.

"I don't know! Do you deliberately make me do fifty pushups every morning?" Will scoffed.

"It's for your own good, you couldn't use physical strength to save your life, you must tighten and strengthen your body."

"It may not surprise you to know that I like my body loose and stretched out on the grass, thank you very much!" to prove her point, Will leaned against the building that she assumed was next to her. Unfortunately, the child miscalculated and smashed straight into the barrels right behind her. The simultaneous crashes, frantic flailing, and pained cries perceptibly amused Maze for he chuckled deeply, shutting his eyes and shaking his head left and right. In total, the young girl had knocked over three barrels, breaking them in the process. The barrels contained nothing but apples. "It's not funny, I think I cracked something important." The 'important' thing she'd cracked was actually an apple that she'd landed nicely on crushing it to bits.

"Serves you right." Maze stated, waving a finger at her almost in triumph. Muttering to herself, she stumbled into a standing position. "I need you to head back to the Guild, there's some business I must attend to alone." There he went again, leaving Will out of interesting stuff, she expected as much and was in absolutely no mood to protest.

"Wait, does that mean lessons are canceled?" Will questioned, trying to remain on the optimistic side of the situation.

"Do not get too excited, I've compiled a list of things for you to do at the guild."

"Does that mean lessons are canceled?"

"Don't push it." Not wanting to deal with the apprentice any longer, Maze shut his eyes in concentration. A blue light emanated from his body along with a high pitched ringing. Will leaned her head away from the light and contorted her face in annoyance; she never liked the way teleportation sounded. Leisurely, Will sauntered towards the entrance gates, leading to the Lookout point. The guy could've at least helped out and teleported her back to the guild, but no, he made her walk. Once inside the guild, the first thing that was seen was the map room. The place was a huge circular room with a round table in the middle, on top of it sat the model, or 'map', of all of Albion. One thing the girl was glad about was that the Guildmaster wasn't here to give her funny looks of any kind. The bright blue sky matched the shade of the eyes that Will possessed. The training grounds were filled with apprentices wearing the exact same thing as her; that whole standard beige-ish outfit with a hood. A few apprentices walked by with their hoods up, shielding their eyes and most of their appearance from display. Will hated putting her hood up, it was itchy and uncomfortable.

"Hey you!" from the voice, she could tell that this girl came from Samarkand and when Will whipped around to see who had called her, her assumption was correct. In the middle of a round dirt patch enclosed by a brown fence, there stood a young girl in apprentice attire similar to Will's. Her dark skin and thick accent made her somewhat stand out from the rest of the others. Whatever it was, she caught Will's attention, for she started to advance towards the center of the ring, her head tilted in an inquiring expression. "You don't look like much, but no one seems to want to spar with me," she explained, "So how about it?"

"Eh, better than chores." She deduced, but then stopped realizing that she had no weapon to fight with, Maze wouldn't give her an actual weapon, fearing for others' lives and his own, knowing that the girl would probably trip and stick herself with her own sword. "Er," a hand grasped the long wooden stick strapped to her back and showed it to her challenger.

"Bah, don't worry, here." An iron longsword was placed in Will's petite hands. Immediately, she lurched forward from the surprising weight of it. "My name is Whisper, by the way." She seemed quite entertained at the struggle of the younger trainee. "And none of that will stuff, weapon combat." Apparently Whisper felt the need to clarify that fact as she watched Will mouth 'darn it' and make her way to the opposite side of the ring.

"I'm Will." Due to the heaviness of the weapon, it was required to wield it with two hands. Whisper nodded knowingly and moved into a ready position. A man on the outside of the ring stood at the entrance of it looking from one student to the other to see if they were ready or not.

"Alright, you two will fight until I tell you to stop," he instructed, "And I do mean stop." He added, narrowing his eyes at both students to emphasize his order. "Ready, go!" Will made the first move, a full speed rush forward with her weapon ready to swing. The sword swung in a perfect arc towards her competitor. A deafening clang sounded as metal clashed with metal. With fluid motions, Will ducked and dodged Whisper's attacks, her mind not collected and put together enough to return the blows. Not all were easily avoidable; one slash came in contact with her chest. She winced and fell to the ground sending up a large cloud of dust. A yell and a gesture from the instructor made Whisper stop in her tracks.

"No! Not yet," Will placed herself in a standing situation. The slash to the chest had only ripped the top layer of her clothes. By now, the adrenaline was beginning to kick in and Will became more eager for the fight. The instructor nodded hesitantly. This time, Whisper charged first and Will, completely ready this time, held up her weapon blocking her foe's sword. Both pushed harder, unwilling to yield to the other. Using one final push, Will knocked the older student to the ground. Without missing a beat, her opponent hopped to her feet, weapon at the ready. Will's hood flew behind her as pivoted on her feet, never taking her eyes off of Whisper, her rival seemed to be favoring rolling behind Will and showing aggression from there. Grunting, Will parried and blocked a series of violent intense blows. After the final one, Will dropped her aching arms sensing that Whisper was worn out just like her. Letting out an aggravated cry, Whisper surged forward, slamming her left shoulder straight into the middle of Will's upper body. Here she was again on the ground; her clothing was going to have to be washed and tomorrow was going to be a sore…sore day. She could feel the wind slowly leave her body as she gasped and wheezed on the floor.

"Alright! alright!" the man held up his hands indicating that the fight was over. On the floor, she turned her head to see that a crowd of spectators had assembled to watch the show. Excited talking and entertained laughs grew from the group. Among that cluster of people was the Guildmaster, standing with his hands folded behind him and his usual look of calmness drawn onto his face. Presenting more determination than before, Will recomposed herself and got up an additional time.

"I'm not done yet." The Guildmaster was watching, this could have been a good chance to prove herself, to show that she was worthy of being officially a part of the guild. Whisper held up her sword in a block, tired and already panting and partially wishing that the younger girl would stop. Will flew into the air, holding her sword into the air. The sword slammed into Whisper's creating and explosive sound and breaking Whisper's block. Noticeably, Whisper's assaults became more and more pathetic, pathetic enough for Will to deflect them and throw some hits of her own in rapid succession. Sidestepping, Will lowered herself to the ground, held the sword in one hand, spun the sword towards Whisper to build up momentum, aiming the flat side of the blade towards Whisper's feet. Unable to predict that Will was aiming for her feet, Whisper let out a shocked gasp as the sword came in contact with her ankle knocking her down.

"Al- Alright, you've won." Breathing heavily, Whisper held up her hands defensively, dropping her weapon to the side. The audience had started to clap encouragingly for the young apprentice. Azure eyes searched the crowd for the Guildmaster, when she found him; he gave a few subtle consistent claps, seven in total, before turning and leaving the area, subtle clues of a look of approval on his face. Will sighed, she could never be a true member of the guild until **BOTH** Maze and the Guildmaster approved of it. Handing the weapon to the instructor, Will strolled to her room, wiping off the filth to the best of her ability. Her single person room had become very comfortable for her, even though it contained no windows and resembled a prison cell; Will became proud to call it home.

A stinging pain shot through Will's entire arm as she used her hand to support herself on the bed. "Ugh." Her face twisted as she gently held her left wrist to her face, squeezing it to see where the pain had come from. From her calculations, the pain was from a light sprain in her wrist. "Okay, minor setback." Maze was going to kill her. Denying the reality that her wrist was sprained, Will tried to rotate it, the result ending up in complete and total pain. "Uuuh, I can fix this." If there was one thing Will didn't like, it was people seeing her in a vulnerable state. Beneath the small full sized bed was collected dust, some untouched books, and a small convenient box full of bandages and potions. After downing one potion, the girl felt replenished and energized, kind of like a fast acting energy drink. Now Will was never really good at that whole bandaging junk, so after about an hour of bandaging and re-bandaging, the kid was starting to lose it.

The room was dimly lit, and Will sat alone in the single chair in front of the single table, next to the single bed. It'd been a while since Will had thought about her mother. A pang of emotion hit Will straight in the heart as her mother's blank, lifeless face flashed into her mind. The dull sound of her mother's stiff body thumping to the floor replayed continuously within her head. She tried to shake it off, but her face, her pale blue eyes staring helplessly at the girl in the cupboard wouldn't fade. Would she be proud of her daughter? Ashamed? Disappointed? "What if you had seen me today, Mom?" she looked up and talked to the wall that faced her. The sound of a door opening brought Will out of her horrible moment of reminiscing. Automatically, her head snapped up, still bandaging her injured arm she had it held up in front of her face on full display for her unexpected visitor; Maze. "Haven't you heard of knocking?" trying to place the elbow of the damaged arm on the table to look casual was a failed attempt.

"I heard about your little duel." step by step he advanced towards her, his voice disturbingly cool, like he was going to detonate any second, his footsteps steady and slow, "Quite frankly, everyone's talking about it." When close enough, he took hold of her arm, not hard enough to hurt her to an extreme, but hard enough, so that she couldn't move away.

"Ah! Don't touch me!" Habitually, Will pulled her arm back, only to feel the horrible sensation run through her body again. Before she could injure herself any further, Maze healed her arm.

"The bone is popped back into place, but it might take a while for the pain to go away." Maze explained.  
"You could've told me this earlier before I spent an _hour_ bandaging myself." She protested waving some of the wasted bandages in the air.

"If you read the material I told you to read, we wouldn't be having this problem. At least it's bandaged properly now."

"Well you know-…"

"Just shut up and say thank you already."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, I'm in no mood to have our nightly quarrel, I need to rest, and it seems that you do too."

"What? What happened?"

"There was a bandit raid, in Oakvale; I managed to save a boy, the only sole survivor. Everything has burned to the ground." He told her, "I've brought him here to the guild." Not feeling any more need to explain, Maze departed to his own quarters, the tall tower that looked over pretty much everything else.

Pulling her apprentice glove tenderly over her wrapped hand, she moved to the entry of her room. Everyone had most likely gone to bed by now since there was no one in the map room again. Winding stairs on one side of the map room led to the rooms of most of the apprentices. In a matter of minutes, about halfway up the stairs, Will realized how stupid the idea she had was, she only wanted to meet this boy, why did Maze save him? Then again, why did he help her? How was she even supposed to even find him? Her question was answered almost right away when she heard harsh muffled sobbing. Will poked her head into the room that she thought was the source of the crying. There were two beds, one of them was nicely made and empty, while the other was occupied by a weeping boy with his face in his hands. Right now, the boy probably needed to be alone and wallow in his own sadness, but when was Will ever considerate of other's feelings? "Hey there." Even the apprentice was riddled at the sympathy in her voice.

"They're dead…" the child barely choked the words out coherently. The boy started using a dirty hand to wipe his eyes, seeing that he was in the presence of another person. Though, the sniffling didn't die down when Will sat down next to him on the bed, if one wanted to talk to another person, it was proper to be sitting on the same level as them. Yes, she actually paid attention sometimes. He looked a good three years younger than her, but for some reason, she had a feeling that he would surpass her one day. She'd have to ask Maze about that ageing thing later. "Dead." He repeated.

"I'm Will." She leaned her body forward to look him. The poorly dressed boy didn't answer, but merely looked down at his feet. "If it helps, I know how you feel." This grabbed the boy's interest. Will sighed, this was the last thing that she wanted to talk about, but he really did need some cheering up, she honestly did know the hurt he was experiencing. "I watched my own mother die. I couldn't prevent it-…" A large amount of spit was swallowed back, stuttering, she continued, "And I only looked on." As touchy as the subject was, there, she'd coughed it out.

"I found my father…dead." He didn't want to continue from there and the two sat in silence for some reason enjoying the others company, understanding the emotions of the other. "My name is Ciel." He introduced finally, his words still shaky. "S-So, you're an apprentice here?" he sniffled and took a ragged breath.

"Not exactly." Shifting her position on the bed, she started an explanation, "Y'see. For some reason unknown to me, the Guildmaster doesn't quite like me or approve of me… I don't know, he went off of a hunch… I believe." Whenever Will clarified anything, her arms always waved around in an elaborate fashion, like now. "So Maze trains me, don't ask why, but he just does." The hand motions stopped when Will's hand began to hurt. "Seriously, to me, Maze is pretty much just an uptight old windbag." Ciel cocked his eyebrow in thought.

"Oh! You must be the insufferable source of misery!" The boy came to a realization, his expression displaying how proud he was of the accomplishment.

"I'm the what?"

"Nothing!"

"Maze…" An eye roll and a growl followed the short exchange between the two. Then, the boy did something that Will didn't quite expect, he laughed. Small and soft, but nevertheless, it was a laugh and it pulled in Will as well. As their laughter died down, Will chuckled, "Well, I'll be seeing you around, future-Hero" the bed springs creaked when Will's heaviness was removed from it.

"Do you really think I'll be able to be a hero?" the tears that had been sliding down the boy's cheeks had left crusty trails on his dirty skin. "What if I can't?" doubt overcame him, his sobs were rising back to the surface again, "What if I fail!"

"Yes, you can." Her blue eyes locked with his brown eyes with a puffy red outline. Complete sincerity in her voice actually led the boy to faithfully believe her. "I'll make sure you can." Maybe this was what Maze felt when he took on the stubborn girl as an apprentice; the poor guy was in the moment. "I'll help you." Giving her signature two finger salute, Will spun around and made her exit.

"Thank you." Ciel yelled after her. The words sounded funny to Will, no one had ever really thanked her for anything, maybe because she hadn't really achieved anything that was worth of thanks. For at the 'Thank you' of Ciel, Will cringed, but didn't turn around, mostly because of the reliance and trust in that 'Thank you". Never had she thanked anyone with sincerity, and no one had ever thanked her and meant it too, but, eh, there was a first for everything. Deprived of the ability to speak at the moment, the blue-eyed girl headed for her bedroom for a well-deserved rest. She couldn't explain it, but this boy would play an important role in her life one day, no idea how…but he would.

_How in the world did this seem to **matter** so much to me?_

* * *

I have a strong dislike for Whisper, 100% useless. Just saying!

I do not own Fable or any of the characters. Will is my own original character pulled together from my fruity imagination and drawn on the side of my notebook.


	3. I can do it, alone

Well, here's the third chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews, believe it or not, they really do help. Comments and suggestions are welcome, just remember, I'm fragile. Also, I have developed a constant pattern, I shall be posting a chapter up every Sunday, unless it's insanely short, then it might go up on Wednesday or something. Well, enjoy.

* * *

_And I want a __**momen**__t to be real, want to touch things I don't feel_

_Want to hold on and feel I __belong__._

Locks. They're usually meant to keep something out, or something in for that matter. Possibly it's there to conceal something, a dark secret or a surprise. Possible it was there to protect someone from an unknown danger that lay within the mysterious room or to keep an object inside. Either way, locks were pesky little metal things placed on a door just to spark curiosity and pure suspicion within certain people. There weren't many rooms inside of the guild; a library, map room, dining hall, apprentice's rooms, the chamber of fate, and whatever else one could think of. If there was one thing those areas had in common, it was the piece of information that none of these rooms had locks. Commonly, those things were found on front doors to keep monsters from getting in, on chests to keep people from opening them, but never on doors inside the guild.

A thin piece of metal wire was held snug between two slender fingers. The fingers mentioned belonged to none other than the infamous Will. The other hand scratched wildly at the mess Will was able to call hair; it had grown actually, about an inch past her shoulders to be exact. Beneath the winding staircases that led to Maze's room there stood a door, a standard wooden door. The only difference was that this door had a stupid metal lock attached to it, dangling form the handle staring up at Will in a taunting manner. It was cold and everyone seemed to be in low spirits because of the weather, as well it was early in the morning. Sleep late, wake early was not a routine that pleased Will; it was sleep late wake **very** late. For now, this was for a special occasion that the girl had rolled out of bed at this ungodly hour. While Will inserted the slim wire into the lock, not one nosey apprentice had come to poke its curious head in to find out what was going on. Shutting her eyes, the apprentice leaned against the door. Just a short rest before continuing her work, or at least, that was what she thought. However, the droll of the silence of early morning caused the black-haired girl to slowly drift in and out of slumber.

This just confirmed that everyone was probably just as lazy as her, they were all cozy and warm in their little beds probably floating away into the world of rest and dreams. A wave of envy washed over the girl as she started to continue her work. What was behind this door? A monster maybe or perhaps it was the guild prison! Why in all of Albion would the guild have a prison? A distant sound tensed Will's muscles, she didn't know why she was so worried, everything might have been a whole lot easier if she just asked Maze what was behind this door, but, she'd much rather figure out for herself. Her fingers worked skillfully and the youth became certain that it wouldn't take too long for the lock to open. She was horrified at the prospect of finding something alarmingly unnatural behind the door, but a lop-sided smirk still formed on her face when the lock gave a satisfying click. A great protest came from the door as it was forcibly pushed open.

"Right, that is the last exercise I am doing for a year." Pushing that door open was more of a workout than she'd done in a whole month. To her dismay, there was no three-headed balverine, no mystical glorious weapon that would give her all the magic in all of Albion, not even a measly skeleton clutching an important piece of parchment. Only the light from the door Will had shoved open was illuminating the dark room. "One more time." The door gave another loud creak allowing more grey morning light to enter the room. Wasn't much, but it would have to suffice for now. The young apprentice's eyes adjusted to the dark and discovered that there was another light source brightening the room, a staircase on the opposite side of the room. Without even bothering to shut the heavy door behind her, she made her way to the staircase. This place was producing more exercise than any training activity Maze could devise. Up and up the stairs she went, the height seemed to rise above that of Maze's tower or even the lighthouse that had been back home at Hook Coast.

After what felt like forever of climbing the blasphemous amount of steps, her breathing showed the effort placed in completing the feat. A yell caught in her throat when she found that there was pretty much nothing at the top of the tower, except a small square room built of the same material as the rest of the castle. A good comparison to the size of it would be the size of her room. The single dissimilarity was the arch that Will could feel a cool breeze entering from. If her jaw could drop any further, it probably did at that moment when she stepped through the stone arch and was standing atop a balcony. Not any ordinary balcony though, this particular one had no railing so if Will were to take less than six paces forward, she'd promptly fall right off. Perfect place to commit suicide, not that she was going to, but it was perfect; the dramatic scene where the person stood on the very edge of the balcony, mused over his life, then leaned forward plummeting to his or her death. The entire platform went all the way around the square shaped tower. Just to make sure, Will cautiously voyaged all the way around the tower that looked like it was wearing a huge stone dress for her to stand on until she ended up where she started.

Feeling highly accomplished, Will plopped down to the ground leaning her back against the section of the wall just next to the entrance arch. No one could see her since she was leaning against the wall and if no one saw her, then no one could scold her, it was that simple. "Mm, the view's not as good though." Planning to fix what she'd just said, Will used her hands and legs to scoot forward until her boots were dangling freely from the ledge.

"Enjoying yourself?" Instead of freaking out and leaping straight off the ledge like she probably normally would've, Will froze, gripping the edge until her knuckles turned white. Scooting backwards quickly so that the second person couldn't push her off, Will jumped up and turned to find out who her follower was.

"Maze!" her annoyance level shot up while her body plunked back down to her original spot. Though, this time she didn't dangle her feet off the edge and as an alternative, crossed them, it seemed more secure in that fashion. "How did you get up here?" still flustered from being caught off guard.

"This door hasn't been opened for centuries." The old hero grunted sitting down next to the startled apprentice. He looked out at sun beginning to peak over the hills.

"Oh and how would you know that?" she leaned forward placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.  
"Because I have the only key." Both turned at the exact same moment, Will's eyes falling to the silver key in Maze's hand.

"Ah then." He obviously wasn't too angry that she'd picked the lock and gone into something that was absolutely none of her business. Then again, this actually qualified as something less serious compared to what she usually did. Maze probably deemed this a break. Will's gaze averted from Maze's hand and looked out trying to enjoy the view. The sun itself wasn't even fully awake and was lazily advancing upwards. From the side where she and Maze were sitting, below them was the training grounds, the extent of her view was the large green trees of the guild woods. The training grounds were starting to become alive with people, some were hitting the straw dummies and others were on will island. To her, they looked like little dots running around in circles. Over the years, Will had grown fairly close to Ciel, the boy who had been saved in the Oakvale raid. The duo had a complicated relationship, Will often defended him when the apprentices called him a useless farmboy which tended to end in a fight and her getting sent to Maze's office for causing great damage to the other student. Now she watched him being handed an iron longsword and getting in the ring to face Whisper just as she had. Most of it was a major case of déjà vu. Will herself carried twin swords for protection, but actually never used them… at all.

"Maze?' her azure eyes never left Ciel, watching his every move in the battle ring. A proud smile glowed on her face as Whisper was knocked down and the future hero stepped back modestly. Suppressing the strong urge to just cheer for him, Will repositioned herself to sit up straighter.

"Mm?" Maze's reply was entirely inattentive; he seemed to be distracted by something else. Will tried to follow his gaze, but saw that he wasn't focused on an object or person, but rather, was staring precisely into space.

"I have a question. What's wrong with my ageing process?" Maze snapped out of his dream-like state and craned his head to look at his apprentice. "I mean, I should be at least…I don't know nineteen now or something." To prove her point, Will held a finger out at where Ciel was; now making his way to archery training. "Ciel was a good three years younger than me when he first came here and now he's caught up to me and passed me by a whole year!" Her arms were waving wildly again in her effort at making the explanation clearer. "Do you not see something wrong with that?" her voice was getting higher, louder, almost to a point where it sounded angry. She wasn't angry, but it was maddening Will that apprentices were graduating and going out on quests when Will was stuck still training. "Aside from that, it will be a long time before I can go to town, buy my own house and maybe, I don't know, fall in love or something!"

Maze seemed to choke at her last few words then a small mocking laugh escaped his lips, "Will."

"Yes?"

"No, not your name, Will, your will-power." Will cocked an eyebrow with interest. "I told you before, but you have strong will-power, it may slow your ageing process, but not by much." The apprentice nodded her head in understanding, this was the only time she had ever listened intently to Maze. "Yes, the same goes for me, but…not as much."

"Then I have a request." She interrupted. A groan was Maze's encouraging reply.

"Yes?" he might as well try, it couldn't be as bad as when she asked to rig the straw dummies with 'harmless' explosives and ACTUALLY did it. No one was seriously injured, but there were fractures, emotionally scarred apprentices and instructors, and restricted use of the dummies for almost a full two months in trying to find and de-activate all of the explosives. "Go on, what is it?" Will sucked in a deep breath, she'd been waiting to ask for a while and she readily had backup to support her reasons incase he didn't agree with her.

"I want to go on a quest." She stated firmly, "Alone." Will added. Maze remained silent, he didn't even look like he was going to say anything, against it or not. Will took the hush as his way of saying no. Angrily, Will stood up suddenly feeling very tall compared to Maze, "I'm older than half of the graduates, you said so yourself, I age slower! I should be allowed to go on my own missions; I'm not a child anymore! I should be at least twenty!" her math was off, but it was close enough.

"With the mind of a toddler." His voice was kept low, but the comment was still within earshot of Will.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Maze stood, cutting Will's moment of feeling tall…short. "Alright." He sighed, "But I'm giving you the quest and you are to follow my instructions exactly or else I won't trust you to do this ever again." The eager, rapid nods of Will's head made Maze sigh even louder. From underneath his robes, Maze revealed a small brown object that resembled the appearance of a tiny package. Reluctantly, he placed it in the gloved hands of the excited youth. "Now, I want you to take this to the entrance of Darkwood, there will be a man there, don't speak to him, just hand him that box. And most importantly, do not open that package and do not tell anyone about this mission." The receding footsteps were already heard running down the winding stairs. "Will! It is absolutely crucial that you do not open it! Remember what will happen if you disobey me!" hopefully his instructions would carry down the stairwell and reach her ears. He waited.

"I know! I know!" came the annoyed reply, she was too high-strung about the mission to even worry about what was inside the little box. In fact what was in the box wasn't an object, it was actually a neatly folded extensive letter placed into a box. When Will shook it there was no sound of a solid object hitting the sides, if she didn't know any better she might have thought that it was empty. With all the power that her legs muscles could muster, Will sped through the dining hall, map room, and out to the training grounds receiving a few odd looks in the course. "Ciel! Ciel!" the teen was walking away from will island, his will-power worn out and a closed-mouth yawn followed. He looked up to see the girl running at full speed, for maybe the first time in her life. In her hand, she waved an object around like a madman.

"What'd you do, steal that from Maze's office?" Ciel crossed his arms with his signature grin broadcasted on his boyish face.

"Oh wha-!" acting insulted from his comment, she placed her hands on her hips adding an appalled look to her facial features, "I would never." She paused, "Ah, that's definitely something I would do!" The two shared a friendly laugh. Will was the first to break from the laugh and look over her friend; he'd grown very much from when she'd first met him crying in his room over the loss of his family and town. His hair was spiked wildly, but kept to a neat length, perfectly matching the, not sickly pale, but light color of his unscarred skin. Girls might have begun to find him attractive, his muscles were beginning to develop and his fighting skills were fairly acceptable. The warm wind blew through Will's dark, shoulder length hair and ruffled Ciel's. Everyone around here was taller than Will, Ciel was no exception, he was a good head taller than her. Finally, her fellow apprentice looked down at her and inquired about the small box.

"What's with the box then?" It had to be fairly important if she'd run out like that just to show him.

"I, uh, can't tell you." Maze's words were actually remembered that she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the box that she hardly knew anything about herself. But the look upon Ciel's face was priceless. After stuttering and stammering for a moment, Will giggled and spoke, "My first quest! Alone! No Maze! No constant nagging and let's-tell-Will-what-she's-doing-wrong criticism!" the girl could barely contain her excitement and Ciel was getting a kick out of it for he expressed his amusement by doubling over laughing at the enthusiasm of the apprentice.

"At least you'll be able to go on a quest before me." Her friend steadied himself and studied the girl's face, her happiness not faltering.

"Maybe the Guildmaster might accept me if I complete this successfully." Will said softly.

"Will, you've been trying for years, and I don't think it works out that way."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, coming close to proving yourself, then rigging all of the straw dummies to explode when hit doesn't exactly bring up the trust level." Ciel made an effort to explain to the girl.

"That was good wasn't it?" Will chuckled and exhaled cheerfully remembering the horrified looks on the instructors and students when seven exploded at once. Ciel seemed to be in thought again.  
"Also, there was the time when you created that huge domino effect with the library book shelves. Oh and when you beat up three other apprentices because they insulted you?" he started counting off his fingers one by one.

"Hey, they didn't insult me; it was…" she paused, "Maze." She hadn't told that to anyone, not even Maze when she'd been called into his quarters, not that it would've made a difference.

"Why would you have cared then?"

"I didn't."

"Really?"

"No one caustically insults him except me, alright?"

Ciel nodded "You'd better get going then." The sun was already high in the sky and if she stayed and chit-chatted with the boy any longer, then she wouldn't be back until dark. After saying her goodbyes to the apprentice, Will threw a few potions into her shoulder bag and started towards Greatwood.

The huge stone arch never looked more inviting. Proudly, the girl stepped through and entered the forest. It didn't take to long for Will to disappear behind the green bushes and trees in the forest. Will made sure to follow the map exactly or else she'd probably get lost and end up rocking back and forth under a tree until Maze came and found her. For a while, the quest was completely uneventful until a loud buzzing sound irritated Will's ears. A metallic slide sounded as Will unsheathed both of her swords. Luckily, the two were light and easy to wield. Not too far from where she stood was a trader, his arms held up in front of him protectively. A wasp was hovering over the man and hitting him when his defenses were down. "Augh, help me!" the trader's face was already covered with red scratches and bruises from the attack. Swords at the ready, Will advanced forward and when at a good enough distance she swiftly brought up the twin blades in an 'X' shape near the wasp, then pulled the 'X' apart slicing the creature into three neat pieces. Green goo splattered onto the two swords and onto the sleeve of her shirt. "Hey I know you! You're Will!"

"You know me?" she lowered her swords sensing no danger nearby. Disgusted, she started shaking her green stained sleeves.

"That's not a good thing dear." Will shrugged, knowing he probably knew her because of some trouble she'd caused in Bowerstone or something. The two waved goodbye, and Will was off once more. The wasps weren't that big of a problem for her, one or two slices already brought on the sickening shriek from the dying wasp. In fact, Will only used one sword and kept the other in front of her for protection, safety measures. Besides, it wasn't fair to keep one sword sheathed; the other wouldn't receive any love. Granted, Will was feeling that horrible sensation creep up on her and her bed was sounding better and better. The trader's heartening claps and dying sounds of wasps kept her going; it felt nice to be appreciated. Will patted her pocket occasionally to re-establish that her quest item was still there. Leaves and branches crunched under Will's mud covered apprentice boots. The forest grew darker as she advanced deeper; the air grew cold and frigid. Drawing her over shirt around her arms, she started to shiver mildly from the weather. "You seem like a nice girl." A kind trader smiled placing a thankful hand on her shoulder after she'd shot down a wasp using her ever so powerful lightning.

"I always do at first." She nodded

The sun was going down slowly, but all the same it was going down. Stretching, she yawned seeing her objective at the entrance of Darkwood. She saw the hooded figure and the hooded figure saw her, but Will's legs refused to move as if frozen solid by some spell. Maybe it was the climate conditions. A warm bed flashed into her mind and Will began walking again, the person that looked like a man wore a black cloak, his face and eyes obscured by a black hood. Sheathing her weapon, she approached the man. Still focused on the black-clad man, her hand reached into her pocket and pulled out the small delivery. The man saw, nodded and held out a hand which, like the rest of his body, was covered in a black cloth, not a single ounce of skin was visible on his entire body, Will knew, she tried to search for even a millimeter of skin, but failed. As the man took his item, he scanned Will over, looking at her eyes, she didn't notice since his eyes were concealed. "An apprentice? What is your name?" The voice made Will's blood run cold. She knew that voice, where had she heard it? Her mind wasn't collected, she'd remember later. Though the man probably didn't mean to, his voice came out like he was teasing her.

"Will." The moment the syllable escaped her mouth, she remembered Maze telling her to not speak a single word to the man. Gasping at the realization, Will turned away and jogged back in the direction of the guild. She wouldn't tell Maze about her single word exchange with the man. Would it have mattered? It was one word, with one syllable at that, but it was her name. A name was something important, something that belonged to someone personally, no one could take it away from them, it was her identity. Will concluded that she just wouldn't tell him, but when did she ever listen to him anyways? Without so much as a backwards glance, Will power walked until she calculated that the man was out of sight. The wasps hadn't really affected Will that much, but a replenishing potion did sound nice. Re-arming herself, Will began to set out for home.

Pacing back and forth wasn't going to do anything for the child. Sending her on that mission probably wasn't very prudent, she might ruin everything. Then again, how could she mess up something so simple, Maze mentally slapped himself; this was Will he was thinking about, she could mess up any task in Albion. Hopefully, just this once, she may perhaps have listened to him. "Ugh!" that's it, he was already stressed out as much as necessary, any more and he might spontaneously combust. Hands folded behind him, the old hero walked in his dignified manner descending down the steps of his quarters. Outside, Maze looked up at the sky which was turning the nice painted shade of orange, yellow and red just before it faded to black bringing forth the moon and the stars. Some grunting sounds of battle and a training dummy being beaten mercilessly caught Maze's attention for he turned to the source of the dummy's creaking noise.

Beads of sweat formed on Ciel's face, a few managed to snake down to his chin and drip to the floor. He'd been out here for a while still training on the same tattered dummy. The straw was flying off of it and the paint was fading quickly after hours of being abused. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the robed hero, stroking his white whiskered beard, showing that he was in deep thought; Will hadn't returned. As soon as Maze looked his way, the boy gave a tired smile and received a small nod in reply. Though they didn't know it, the two had the exact same thing on there mind, 'Where the hell was Will?' To answer their question, two chatting apprentices crossed the distance between Maze and Ciel.

"Did you hear? A just a while ago a couple of bandits kidnapped some people from Bowerstone!" the voice, presumably male, asked his companion. Maze wasn't one to eavesdrop, but the two were speaking fairly loudly, it was almost impossible not to.

"Eh, I heard, took em' to Greatwood, Demandin' money for em'" The squeaking of the dummy stopped, Ciel's features had stiffened. With a steady turn of his head, the apprentice's eyes landed on Maze, his form as stationary and unmoving as his.

"Whatever it is, Greatwood is now crawling with them!" the young man swiped his arm out in front of him and his friend for dramatic affect.

"Bes' let the guards handle it, let's get some food, 'm starved." That was about all that Ciel could tolerate. 'Maze' was the first name he wanted to yell out, but when the boy glanced in his direction, Maze was nowhere to be found. The old wizard cursed silently, as he materialized in front of the Greatwood entrance. Of all the luck, everything had to blow up in his face didn't it? Especially when it dealt with the young girl. His brow was furrowed to a point where it looked like it would never come back up and his eyes had rage that matched.

That poor memory of hers was positively going to be the end of her one day. "This…isn't" the girl could have sworn that there hadn't been a campfire here before. Holding her swords down beside her, Will walked on. The second sight she came upon was a man in his generic trader's clothes on the ground, stock-still. A sharp intake of breath and the girl broke into a run, without a doubt, that man was dead. Will stopped when she heard a snapping sound behind her. Stopping may not have been the best idea. A raspy laugh followed by more sounds of the ground being disturbed came after.

"Look a' what we got here boys." Hesitantly, Will came about and was faced with three men; one was leaning on a tree, a yellow nail pushed between his equally yellow teeth, the other was sheathing his weapon seeing that the problem was a mere girl, the third one stood in front of the two, arms crossed and an unpleasant hungry look upon his face. It was he, the third man, who had given the comment.

"Bandits." She hissed clutching onto the hilt of her swords harder. The one who had put away his weapon clicked his tongue playfully at her and took an anticipating step to the apprentice. At the step, Will retreated one. Damn it, she'd have to run again, this day was turning out to be a very physical day wasn't it? These guys didn't look too hard to outrun, they wore an extensive amount of dirty red disgusting gear, and their rank in the bandit clan was easily given away by their attire. "Aaand, go!" wheeling around, she made a motion to sprint wildly for the guild, not stopping for a breath only to find her plans ruined by a barricade of at least four more bandits.

"Where 'ya off to sweetheart?" another one licked his lips and mockingly fixed his unkempt patches of brown, dirty hair. Sick, she looks only fifteen years old and these guys were full ready to use her for their twisted pleasurable desires.

"Shoot." Will's sigh came out as nonchalantly as she meant it too; some sprinkles of irritation were tossed into the mix too. You see, the kid expected to waltz straight back to the guild and shamelessly boast about the amount of trader's that she'd saved. Yes, good, that was her mission, help traders. A younger, more impatient bandit stepped forward, hands outstretched with every intention of apprehending the girl; he was the first to go. The familiar crackling sound burst through the air as lightning flew from Will's hand slamming into the young bandit. His body became entirely engulfed in blue; his arms flew out instantaneously, weapon dropped with a clang followed by desperate falsetto screams. Bandit comrades watched the rookie screech in excruciating pain and thrash spasmodically from the electrical surge consuming his body. They could only continued to stare as his black burnt remains dropped to the ground. Two of the bandits snapped from their state and advanced upon the girl. The first leaped into the air, axe held over his head with the objective of being able to bring his blade down and cut the kid into two neat slices. Using one arm, Will held one sword high above her head blocking the blow. Due to the momentum the bandit had gathered, the axe upon sword impact brought Will to her knees, but left a wide opening that Will stuck her sword straight into; his stomach. Blood spurted out as the ghastly squishing noise of metal cutting through flesh like a stack of soggy paper cards made the remaining bandits cringe.

Three more had started to circle her. She dove towards them, swinging her swords in an upper left to lower right diagonal motion. Then, she whirled to her uncovered back and repeated the same motion, only this time, lower left to upper right. Then finally, a parallel cut straight across slicing the body straight down the middle. The girl paused hearing the dying screams of the men and feeling their warm blood spray against the back of her neck. Three more had drawn their weapons. In response, she held up her hand again casting lightning from her hands, the shrieking didn't last long for Will felt something hit her hard in the back. She cried out and fell to her knees, something went and numbing ran down her back, it didn't require much wit to make out that it was blood. The air reeked of it, that and the smell of roasted meat. On the floor, Will tried catching her lost breath until she felt a boot step on her sword, lowering her further to the ground. Hell, her back hurt and if she remembered correctly, she was losing.

"Damn, ya lil' bitch!" her vision blurred and her head jerked violently when it obtained a hard kick to the side of the head. Shaking his head, he took a quick glimpse at the five dead bandits on the ground surrounding him and the one who'd been momentarily electrocuted twitching on the ground. Poor guy was alive, but he was probably useless now. Maybe they should've brought more men for back-up, at this rate; they'd have to return back to base.

"Idiot." Will coughed, noticing that the idiotic bandit had stepped on her sword failing to notice that she had two swords. Through her pain, she scoffed and swiped the sword at the man's leg that had so nicely rammed her in the face. He howled and tottered backwards stumbling over a log and crashing into barrels and smashing his head into a rock by the campfire. The commotion had the last bandit running to her with jam-packed force. Grunting, Will leaped and rolled speedily behind him, a technique that she'd picked up from Whisper. Whirling her weapons in her hands, she jammed them forward, the impact vibrating Will's petite body. Lastly, Will decided to end the trembling man's pain by jabbing a single blade into the center of his stomach. He choked, wriggled, and then fell silent and still.

Hearing different voices, Will held up her weapons again defensively. She could've guaranteed that those were the only bandits in the area, if there were any more, she might have been done for. No, these voices didn't sound threatening, they sounded like they were calling for help. Head still throbbing from the kick, Will used the trees for support as she moved cautiously through the trees. Tied up with strong tight rope were three people; two men and one woman. Will recognized them, mostly because she'd broken one of their windows on accident when trying to throw a rock at the back of Maze's head; wow, was her aim off!

"Will? Tha' you?" the woman asked fearfully seeing the blood slide down her cheek that she hadn't quite bothered to clean yet. After instructing them not to move, she used her sword to cut the ropes off. Due to her lack of energy, it took a few good strikes for the ropes to finally fall to the ground and the grateful prisoners to help each other up.

"Will? The one tha' broke our window?" the male questioned helping his wife into a standing position.

"Yes! That one!" Will assured them herself sheathing her swords. Startled, they turned to her, but they weren't focused upon her. It took a while for one of them to finally scream hysterically and point in a frenzied conduct to whatever was behind Will. Dreading it, Will turned seeing the man whom she'd relieved of his ankle down, hobbling at a fast rate to where the four were. A blue flash, crackle, and scream was all that was heard moments before Maze headed straight for Will. The lightning had belonged to the will-user himself. "Maze?!" Cries of happiness and joy were heard from the three who had just been rescued, but not one came from Will.

"Are you alright?" Maze's hands gripped her small bloody shoulders firmly, hurting her without knowing it, he shook her. She pulled away roughly, expressing her feelings through her face and eyes.

"I'm fine! I was doing just fine!" That was it, her quest was ruined, and never would she be able to say she'd completed this one all on her own. Nothing was heard from the townsfolk who had just been rescued, they watched in stunned silence.

"Oh yes! Your face and your back definitely show that!" the old hero was about ready to explode, here he'd come all the way out here to find her, finding her with her back turned to the enemy. To top it off, he got yelled at. "Ungrateful little." He huffed, tenderly touching the side of her face with two fingers. Will made a pained face. Her face was a sight, blood was sliding freely down the cheek and the top left side, from her eye to the tip of her mouth was swollen a deep purple and green. After using his will-power to heal her face and back as best as possible, he looked her over, then turned, motioning for them all to follow him. Silently, they did and after a moment of thinking, so did Will, hanging back slightly.

Now her face throbbed at a constant rate, Will had to shut her eye as she walked. After delivering the happy group back to Bowerstone, the two headed back for the guild, a complete silence between them. Just before departing, Will turned sharply towards her mentor, "I don't need you." Her dark voice startled even the girl herself. Maze stopped briefly, but didn't turn and instead continued up the stairs to his quarters.

_Play __emotionless_

_Stay __**expressionless**_

_Try to make it __matter less_

Thank you for reading. Reviews are appreciated.


	4. Acceptance

Here's chapter four. Sorry for the fluctuating chapter lengths, chapter four is normal sized, but everything else just flies around everywhere. Well, it's not like anybody really reads this anyways, but enjoy.

* * *

_You don't __know__ me, _

_And I'll __**never**__ be what you want me to be…_

Stationary straw dummies propped up on wooden sticks never looked to taunting and teasing. 'Hit us! You know you can't! Silly Willy!' Maybe shooting things with arrows wasn't the best idea to release her energy. The wind was throwing her off, she was sure of it, curse you morning breeze. One day after her little incident in the woods still had her fuming. Will wasn't one who got over things fast until she either gotten even or rubbed it into someone's face. An unwary apprentice screamed in sheer fear, dropping to the ground covering his head with his hands as an arrow cut through the peaceful air just millimeters above his head. The straw target was twelve feet away from Will, but somehow she'd managed to shoot it about twenty feet off, past the dummy, out of the archery ring, finally hitting it's mark on the fresh morning grass at an instructor's feet. Possibly that was considered an improvement, the other ones had flown into some trees, into buildings, barely missing people, and frightening them to an impossible extent. "Ugh!" she drew another arrow and positioned it on her bow.

"Alright, so tell me again, what happened?" Ciel stroked his chin in thought, using his other hand to balance himself on top of the archery ring fence. He'd cleverly learned that if he sat right next to her, he'd have less of a chance of being shot through by his own friend. Then again, this was Will, she could shoot an arrow, it could bounce off metal, and fly into his chest, and he was basically in as much danger as anyone else. Dark hair swayed as the boy inclined forward waiting for a logical answer.

"I specifically specificall-…" Hastily, she struggled to position the arrow in its position. When successful, she continued, "I specifically told him that I wanted to do this on my own! No help, nothing! Simple, right?" Ciel didn't understand, her form was perfect, the way she pulled back the drawstring swiftly with one skillful motion, but when she let it go it flew like a rogue pixie. The male blinked several times following the path of the arrow with his brown almond shaped eyes. "And who else comes cavorting in all high and mighty shooting his lightning bolt at my bandit? Then made me feel utterly inferior?" Not feeling the need to answer the rhetorical question, Ciel thought of more ways to try calming his fellow apprentice. Tours often came to the guild; mostly locals came to see what the guild looked like and how the apprentices trained. Each and every one of them in this tour had a fascinated stare fixated on his or her face, but their faces were about to change drastically since there was currently an arrow shooting right onto them. Sharp and threatening, the arrow broke the crowd instantly, the tour guide screaming the loudest and sounding highly girlish. "Whatever, that's not the point; the point is he doesn't trust me to handle things on my own!" Will obviously hadn't noticed where her possessed arrow had flown off to. Ciel grimaced sympathetically at the poor tourists as they tried to settle down the jittery guide. "I'm not a child! If I die, then I die, what does he care?"

"Will, I think he was worried." He interrupted hoping that the girl would understand the meaning of his sentence. Angling her head, she looked incredulously at him with her sharp blue circles. "I know I was." Drawstring already pulled back, Will was ready to let another one rip until he heard his last four words. Sparing another group from the wrath of her crazy shooting, the apprentice lowered her two handed weapon below her waist. Biting her lip, she looked over at the teen who sat up from his perch on the brown fence to her right. His head was tilted downwards, pushing his eyes to the top of his head forcing him to give her that stare, the stare that made her stomach feel strange.

"Worried?" Light pink lips formed the word slowly, pushed out like they were foreign words in her vocabulary. A pang of guilt hit her causing her eyes to fall downward. "But, Maze…"

"He was the first to bolt off when he heard that there were bandits in the woods where you were." Explanations were wonderful and most of the time they typically came too late. "I heard too, but I can't leave the guild." He added sheepishly, "I tried, but…" Hair swished when Will shook it, her eyes were still downcast; it was her way of saying that it was alright. Seeing her down and not throwing a witty comment back at him made Ciel uneasy. "The Guildmaster heard that you saved those people from the bandits." Hope filling his tone. Ever since he's met her, Will had been trying to impress the Guildmaster in hopes of him finally accepting her as a full member of the guild. Only way for her to officially receive her guild seal and truly become a hero was to appease the Guildmaster.

"Yeah, I guess." The one positive didn't cancel out the million negatives. Ciel was actually trying and that alone made her happy to have him as a comrade.

"You're actually really grateful to him aren't you?" he said suddenly jumping from where he had been settled, landing with a gentle thump on the dirt. A tiny dust poof flew up sending dust particles onto his shoes.

"Grateful? What? Who?" Off topic questions tended to catch the girl off guard and then she'd just end up mumbling like an idiot.

"You, to Maze."

"Why would I be?"

"Didn't he take you in when no one else would?" he had her there. "Saved you and brought you here." Another point for Ciel, "Put up with you for this long." True. "Bothered to even go out to make sure you were alright." A dirty glove was placed over Ciel's mouth shutting him up instantly. Will doubted that she'd be able to thank him sincerely, no one had taught her the emotion that was experienced when doing so. Though, she knew she had to give it a shot.

"I'll be right back." grumbled the girl while putting away her bow and arrow. Relieved and thankful sighs were heard throughout the entire training grounds when Will put away her weapon. Ciel couldn't help but laugh quietly to himself seeing the other apprentices put a hand to their chests in an attempt to calm their pounding heart, like they'd all just survived a fire-storm or creature attack. Kicking up a ton of dust as she went, Will hurried to the entrance to the guild; she could feel Ciel's eyes on her. He watched her disappear behind the large doors, and then he turned to the untouched archery dummies. Drawing his own bow, he shot it, hitting his target on the mark. Ciel was never good at aim or archery for that matter, his strength was physical ability, he could wield a sword better than anyone. Even so, his shooting was not as horrendous as Will's reign of terror. Whenever her bow was drawn, everyone ran for cover fearing the apprentice.

Will's pace slowed when she stepped inside of the Guild hearing the doors shut behind her. For a long time, she stood there wondering what she was even trying to do, apologize or thank. Sad thing was, she couldn't perform either of them even if she tried. Every footstep Will took felt like stepping in water with heavy concrete shoes; loud and slow. The twisting stone steps to Maze's quarters never seemed longer to her as many times as she'd advanced up them. Idly, she found herself running the tip of her fingers along the smooth mineral wall that ran up next to the stairs. Sounds of a fire that had been lit crackled and echoed down the steps. With all the politeness she ever learned or had, she knocked the wall before actually stepping up to the room. Maze's room didn't have a doorway; it was mostly a trip up a flight of stairs to make it to the room. Strange figures stood at the entrance, Will frowned, they very much resembled empty suits of dark armor guarding the doorway from any intruders. That usually never prevented her from sneaking in here anyways.

Above her sat a perfect round window that showed off the afternoon sky above, the gentle rays crept in, casting a circular light on the red octagonal carpet that covered the majority of the floor. On one side of the carpet were the stairs leading down to the rest of the guild, on the opposite side of that were four or five steps that led to bookshelves and two larger round portholes sitting an even distance away from each other. Around the room were bookshelves filled with books from all over Albion, Will was never a big fan of reading…ever, so he wouldn't ever have to worry about her ransacking his fanatical amount of volumes. The room was enormous in size no doubt; Will always took the time to look at it no matter what she planned to do in here. At the top of the octagon rug was where the fire was burning under a great stone opening in the wall; it blazed and danced around, a few sparks escaping from its mother, but not venturing very far before being snuffed out. Aside from the light invading from outside and the fierce orange fire, there were several candles placed around the room on tables and on walls to provide additional sources of light.

Directly in front of the fire place stood a tall figure clothed in green, dark red and yellow will-user's robes. His white hair was pushed back out of his face as usual, kept and neat. Since she was standing behind him, she could only assume that his arms were across his chest at the moment as he stared into the fire in deep thought as usual. The red and orange reflected in his intense blue eyes creating a strange array of colors. Will still had one or two fingers still lightly tapping the wall. "Er, Maze?" Perhaps he hadn't heard, the man didn't turn and continued to be mesmerized by the fire leaning back and forth desperately wanting to break free, but was contained. She inhaled about to try again, however he finally cast a glance her way. "Am I interrupting?" Maze turned his entire body to her indicating that she had his full attention. Will looked up at the cold dark face she'd grown so incredibly used to, the blue interlacing lines ran along his face demonstrating his unrivalled power of will.

"Well, I really don't know why I'm here…" she started. Maze blinked and watched her intently. Unwillingly, the apprentice closed the distance between them, "I guess I wanted to say sorry for acting like that especially after you'd saved my life." Just as she'd suspected, Will was absolutely horrible at this, "Wh-While I'm at it, thanks for bringing me here and training me…and, er, stuff." The two were standing not more than twelve inches away. Who knew this whole apologizing thing was so hard? Some people actually did it on a daily basis; Will's mind was utterly blown at the thought. She hadn't detected, but her hands were clenched tightly, hard enough that sweat was gathering in her apprentice gloves. Her head also snapped backwards to catch a glimpse of the ceiling like it might have had words written that she could say. "So, you…uh." Oh if Ciel could see her now! He'd probably have a good, long, side splitting laugh-cry.

"Thank you!" she blurted finally, more thunderous than she had intended. Maze's own eyes widened ever so slightly. Knowing that she was going to undeniably regret this later, Will lurched forward wrapping her arms around Maze's stomach, the highest she could reach. Awkwardly, she placed her head against his chest praying that he wouldn't throw her out the window. He stiffened at her touch, and possibly shook a bit. What Will couldn't see due to the detail that her eyes were squeezed shut was his eyes widening as far as they could go and his mouth gaping, stunned that Will had resorted to hugging him. A thin smile formed on Maze's face as he observed the girl's twisting uncomfortable grimace. His arms that had been down by his side twitched. A fingerless glove hand rested on the apprentice's head and tousled her hair, then left it with a gently pat.

"It's alright, Will" he cleared his throat, 'You can let go." Before the words even finished coming out of Maze's mouth, Will pulled back from the beyond embarrassing embrace, brushing herself off. An amused head tilt came as Maze watched the young girl brush herself off like there was a poisonous acid on her that would melt her skin on the touch. "You tried." He chuckled for a split second.

"Oh, Thank Avo." She breathed heavily sounding like she'd just run over two-hundred miles non-stop. "Um, right." Already backing out of the room, Will made careful sure to not trip backwards and go tumbling down the stairs in another humiliating feat. Will continued to shudder and look like the most revolted person to ever live while heading back to where Ciel was still improving his skill in archery.

"So you hugged him??" Just as Will had predicted, his voice was filled with enthusiasm and curiosity for what had happened in Maze's quarters. He tried to shut his eyes and make the scene replay before him only to bust out in a fit of hooting laughter. Ciel had dropped his bow and arrow, placing his hands on his knees for support. The other apprentice had completely different views on it; she lifted a finger and whirled it in a globular movement.

"That doesn't leave this dirt circle!" she threatened using her finger for confirmation. Here came the regret and resentment. Seeing the boy continue his little happy time, Will lunged at him ready to beat the living daylights out of the boy before her. The two fell to the ground, Ciel grunting out painfully as his back impacted with the dirt. "Do you hear me?" The girl wasn't in the most appropriate position to be sitting on a boy, to be blunt, she had him mounted, sitting directly on top of his stomach. Hands partially wrapped around his neck drew the attention away from her strange position on top of him.

"You know I'm joking." As small as she was, Will was heavy enough to crush his ribs to a certain degree. Fearing for the well-being of his bones, he used the last of his strength to shove the girl off, she complied. The two were now standing and patting the soil from their apprentice clothes. From the impact of Will's tackle, a small brown satchel had dropped along with Ciel spilling its contents out to the floor. The female saw, but didn't make a move to pick any of the stuff up. Amongst the mess, there was a single red rose squished under a black pocket book. To Ciel's horror, the girl dove for him again, but instead of slamming into him she missed and grabbed the rose that had dropped form his satchel. "Er, no, wait!" the circumstances finally became clear in his head.

"Ooh, Ciel, who's this for?" Will gingerly held the rose with three fingers and a smile on her face. "Tell me, I have methods of having you tell." Of all people to find the rose, it had to be Will. She wasn't lying when she said that she had 'methods'. His skin prickled when he thought of said methods.

"This girl." A single eye squint from Will was her response meaning that she needed more information than just that little morsel. "Jane, that girl who comes on the tours all the time." Saying the words quickly to get them over with, Ciel inhaled hoping that she didn't make him repeat the phrase. To his relief, the flower was placed back into his hands; he'd bought the thing from the Guild shop, the thorns had been trimmed so that he wouldn't impale the girl he planned to give this to. Ciel become rigid when Will redrew her bow and arrow.

"I've seen her around." Aim, and fire. " Blonde?" Ciel nodded stiffly watching the arrow evacuate birds from a tree. One more arrow was sent off and this time Will lowered her bow to watch the trail of the shot. The two friends exchanged horror-struck glances as they saw where the arrow was headed. Wearing light blue robes outlined with yellow, the Guildmaster glanced up at the darkening sky that had subtle variations of blue sewn into it. A pleasant smile was given to each of the apprentices and visitors who greeted him merrily. Just as he took a refreshing breath to fill his lungs with a new supply of oxygen, a whistling sound grew louder and louder. An arrow whisked past the old man's bald head and thunk-ed into the trunk of a tree sending splinters shooting everywhere. His heart beating a tad faster, the Guildmaster turned to the archery ring to see none other than Will quickly throw her bow at Ciel with amazing speed, absolutely no shame visible on her face. A look of disbelief from the boy was cast at the girl who had just thrown her weapon at him, trying to toss the fault to him. Rubbing his arm where the bow had hit, he moved two steps away from her, jaw dropped in astonishment.

"Ow! Will!" The outburst wasn't heard, she was too busy weighing her options; if she ran now she might actually have a better chance trying to kill trolls and eat hobbes for survival. If she stayed, then…well, running was the best option.

"Ah, Will." Time to run, "I'd like to see you in the map room, I've been meaning to talk to you about something." Unexpected casualness in his way of speaking made Will feel more and more troubled, perhaps he was going to explode on her again like the first night that she'd come to the Guild. Not uttering another sound, he turned with his usual poise and went straight to the map room. Stunned, Will didn't budge an inch, not to talk to Ciel and not even to follow the Guildmaster to the location he had instructed. Possibly to lighten the mood or help Will out of her temporary daze, Ciel picked up the bow that had been thrown, quite viciously, at him and in return smacked her across the back, not with the same intensity, but that was probably the closest he could ever get to revenge.

"Ow! Hey, don't hit me!" Reflexively, Will snatched the bow and slammed it into Ciel's solar plexus with no entirely no mercy whatsoever. The poor boy was on his knees, on the ground again, his hands placed on where he had been struck. Sputtering and coughing, he only watched Will put away her bow, mumble something under her breath, then take steady steps once again for the main building of the Guild. Some passing apprentices questioned Ciel as to if he was okay, his only reaction was a reassuring hand wave and a groan.

Will found that she wasn't by herself with the Guildmaster when she entered the map room, the other being stood looming over the Guildmaster. The two seemed to be engaged in conversation, so Will waited thankfully. After the conversation was finished, the giant lumbered over to her, he was much larger up close. The man wore heavy armor that only added to his enormous stature. Her presumption was that he was one of the more successful heroes from the proud look in his eye and a strong resemblance to someone she's met before. Breaking eye contact, Will tried to find the Guildmaster over the mountain blocking her way, but to no avail. Jumping pathetically probably wasn't the best idea either.

"Haha, excuse me little one." Little? His voice and his skin color reminded her of Whisper, perchance the two were related in some way. Chuckling modestly, Will went around the round table, rolling her eyes and stopping just three feet away from the Guildmaster. There they were, alone, with no one else around, the Guildmaster had license to blow her head off and stuff her into a nearby closet without much question or witnesses. The Guildmaster took a step towards her and began to speak.

"Will, I have never in my entire life at the Guild seen a student so-…" Not allowing the sentence to be completed, Will interrupted.

"I know! I know!" she sighed shrugging her shoulders up and down dramatically, adding a groan to top it off, "So selfish, inconsiderate, cares for no one but herself neh, neh, neh, I hear this from Maze everyday!" Her burst of words was stopped by a chuckle and a raise of the Guildmaster's hand. Clearing his throat before he continued, the old man smiled warmly.

"I was going to say I'd never met someone with such persistence to prove herself to the Guild." He completed the statement somewhat fast, possibly in fear that she might intervene again. Observing her stunned silence he continued, "I heard about many of your deeds. Perhaps, I might have been wrong the night I met you." Will couldn't believe what she was hearing; she thought that he was going to kill her for sure. "From now on you are an official apprentice of the Guild; you will be able to graduate and receive the Guild seal. As well as training, your bow skills could use…work" The smile never fell from his face while he watched the girl struggle to absorb the new information into her skull. Patiently he waited until her downcast eyes met with his, her mouth looked about ready to explode with questions. Just the opposite almost happened, her face calmed, but a question still lingered. "Go on." He motioned to her with an open palm gesture meaning he was ready to hear her talk.

"If it would be alright with you, I'd like to continue being trained by Maze." Fuzzy white eyebrows rose in an inquiring look from the Guildmaster. "Er, I just…" Again, a hand was held up to silence her.

"Whatever choice you make, you are an official part of this Guild." Uttering a soft thank you, Will turned away. According to her usual nature, by now, the entire Guild would've known that she'd been accepted at long last. Finally, she'd be graduating and going out on missions, making the conclusions on her own, and al that good stuff. No longer would anyone make fun of her for being an outcast or being of 'bad blood' or being 'pure evil' or something like that. She always said that she'd show them, and now she was able to, the news would spread like a rampant wildfire in a green lush forest, an unyielding disease traveling through the wind! For some reason though, that didn't quite happen, or…it did ensue, but Will had nothing to do with it. The girl had gone off, unseen by anyone for the rest of the day, possibly to think to herself about the sudden acceptance. Odd, knowing Will, but the girl was unpredictable at times.

Despite the fact that no one had been there in a long time, there was surprisingly not a speck of dust to be seen. Harsh winds and rain probably washed it off. Legs dangling over the edge, Will sat once more at the top dress of the tower she'd discovered recently. Since then, she'd been coming up here quite often, even though she had to pick the lock, push open the immovable door, and climb up endless stairs; it was worth it to see the breathtaking view. Cured was her fear of heights, but if she were to teeter forward and further than she already did, certain death would await her. And the apprentice seemed to have a hyper habit of rocking back and forward when she sat in funny positions. On the third sway forward, she stayed there, her medium length hair falling over her face, two strands stuck to her face, a third pestered her eyes. She aimed a shot of air up at the stubborn strand sending it flying to a different location on her messy head. Ciel had disappeared from the archery ring, probably moaned and groaned all the way to his room to moan and groan some more. Whatever, he'd forgive her; Ciel wasn't one to hold a grudge for something silly like that. "Soon." She'd obtain that Guild seal whatever it took. What made her so determined, she'd never know, her desire to grow stronger for her mother? Or maybe the simple quest to find herself.

"Mind if I join you?" Maze was already lowering himself next to her. By now, Will was used to him showing himself out of nowhere. At certain times, it was to catch her in a scheming act of hers, but since she hadn't done anything recently, Will remained relaxed.

"Sneaking up behind people is going to get you slapped one day." She informed him with a nod of her head.

"I was not 'sneaking up' on you, you're just never alert. Also, I had the chance to observe your wonderful archery skills." Came the cool, but sharp retort. "Might I ask what you were aiming at?" The old will-user was unable to hide the mocking smile spreading across his dark face.

"Haha, very funny, and for your information, I hit exactly what I was aiming for!" Both of them knew that it was a complete lie. "Spying on me, tsk, you need to get a hobby." Will crossed her legs and arms at the same time, elevating one eyebrow at the older man. With his usual blankness, he stared down at the girl; her childish features, smug grin, and devious remarks. In the course of training the apprentice, he had one way or another grown reasonably used to her and was now able to keep up and often counter her sarcastic assertions.

"Not "spying", I prefer calculative observation." He responded imitating her eyebrow action with a more serious touch to his. "And might I say. Your shooting pattern is …tremendously… innovative." Using her hands, Will scooted back from the edge to some amount before settling. He'd at least tried to preserve her feelings for the moment; he almost certainly did that for people often since there were so many over-sensitive apprentices sent to his office. Never had he really cared to spare Will's feelings for anything though since she insulted him and everyone heartlessly. "Someone could have been seriously hurt."

"Call it what you'd like Maze. It all translates back to spying. Oh, and they'll live. Yeesh" Maze's following hush was another winning point for Will. Silently, she celebrated her victory by crossing her sky-blue eyes and to look down at her hands now folded in her lap. Suddenly, their earlier awkward moment came back to Will in a quick flash, the scene making her squirm in her spot, if Maze ever brought it up again, she might've jumped off faster than someone could say, 'You hugged him?'. Her clothes would have to be burned and the ashes tossed out to sea.

Quite of late, the tower balcony had become Will's place to actually take a seat in peace for a while. A base, her retaliating spot, and the only two people who had admittance to it was her with her lock picking skills and Maze with his actual key. In all honesty, there wasn't anyone else's company she preferred. There was a green book sitting in Maze's lap that she hadn't noticed before, it was considerably large. Seeing the girl's attention on the hardback, he grazed four fingers over it lightly, "Reading Will, something you should try sometime." With ease, he picked up the book with one hand and placed it in her lap. The thing was heavier than she'd thought.

"I'd rather not." Collected sand powder pushed away from the book as it was shoved into the small space separating the teacher and student. When people even saw Will with a book or any type of learning material in her hand, they might have questioned what possessed her at the moment. As of now, she only waved her hand in front of her face to keep the dust from irritating her sensitive nose.

"I heard that you've been accepted by the Guildmaster." So, he did know. Will concluded that he'd been waiting for her to mention it, but when Will showed no sign of it, he brought it up. "I expected you to be running around like a love-struck animal telling everyone in all of Albion in less than seconds." Will's smile grew wider when she leaned backwards to get a good look at Maze and make sure that he was listening.

"But it did spread." She held up a single finger to get her point across, "My gain was that I got to sit up here doing absolutely nothing while everyone else did my dirty work." Returning to her normal position, Will giggled almost evilly. "Mission accomplished." A triumphant fist was shot into the air disturbing the still wind carrying steadily around the tower. "Did you just come up here to patronize me?" Will asked. "How did you even find me? Or know I was up here?"

"Simple, follow the trail of chaos; a boy cringing on the ground, arrows stuck to almost everything, and a flustered Guildmaster." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Will's infamous grin. "Ahem, what I came to ask was, you were approved as an apprentice, but why did you still choose to have only me as your teacher, to continue as you were?" It was an honest question; Will was always complaining and rebelling against mandatory assignments with glee. Getting away from Maze would be an utter miracle. Wasn't that why she'd been working to hard to please the Guildmaster? There wasn't a proper answer that he could think of, but the answer he gave her was actually both honest and very Will-esque.

"I don't need two people passing judgment on me. Your criticism is enough."

_I give you my __word_

_Empty __**promises**__ are all they are to you._

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Thanks for reading all the way through.


	5. Strike you? Gladly! Graduation

Oh lookie here, chapter five. Er, it's a short chapter, but no one really cares, right? Anyhoo, please enjoy, review and whatever you youngsters do these days. :{D

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_They don't __**know**__ me_

_Because I'm not here…_

Like all frustrating occurrences that Will had to deal with, levels were one issue she failed to ever understand. In order to advance in this thing you have to pass a test, in order to move ahead for the other thing you have to master this crap, etc. That wasn't all; there was always something else to learn. Will never understood why, she much rather would've had something given to her. Then again, that could've been why Maze was always implying that she took the 'easy way out' just because of her lack of ambition in any of her given tasks. People said that like it was a bad thing, then why was there an 'easy way out' in the first place. Even if there wasn't one, Will always strived to find it even if it meant performing more work than the hard way out. Basically, what this is getting at is that before graduation there's a final test, yes, a final test. Thankfully, it was later today so Will had time to sit up on her little tower.

Up the winding stairs she went feeling the temperature grow cooler as she got closer to the top. When she finally reached her destination, she found Maze already sitting up there, as casual as ever. "Stealing my spot?" Will inquired sitting in her usual spot just to the left of him. The weather today was especially sunny, but luckily it was rising on the other side of the tower and not currently blinding the two to death. Maze usually didn't come up here to have time to himself. His idea of having time to himself was being in his room away from Will, his purpose for coming up here was to either accuse her of something or shove her off the edge. The man didn't answer; instead he reached into his robes and pulled out a white box that looked like it contained some type of food. Remaining silent, Will watched him open the box and show her the contents of it.

"Pie?" he offered. What the hell? He came up here to offer her pie? Still, it didn't keep her from drooling at the sight of the baked dish with a doughy covering. The inside contained sweet and savory ingredients that Will longed to have please her taste buds. He saw the look on her face and began to explain, "I figured you might need strength for your final exam today." He cut a piece and held it out to her.

"So you got me pie?" With delight, she held the pie in her hands, careful not to spill a single crumb of the sugary goodness.

"You don't like apple pie?" Maze asked rhetorically as he watched her stuff it down in one single bite. Will's teeth bit down feeling the jelly release from its doughy prison and disperse through her mouth. Her taste buds danced around welcoming the saccharine sensation that was taking over their territory. Greedily, she licked the sides of her lips determined to not let a single morsel go to waste.

"No, obviously I love it." Mouth still full, she chewed some more. "It's just, you force me to eat healthy stuff all of the time" Recalling that her diet usually consisted of fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots. The two devoured their slices of pie, Will with less dignity and manners than Maze of course. When done, Maze stood and started to leave, "Where are you going?" Jelly streaked her cheek and pieces of crust flew out at the question, but Maze paid no mind, he was accustomed to her behavior along with eating habits.

"There's a task I must carry out this morning." She knew that she couldn't go along because of her final test later in the day, so she didn't even bother trying to pester him as to if she could come a long or not. Something hit her at that moment, would he be there for her graduation? It was only fitting that he was there, after all, he was her teacher, and he couldn't miss this. "I'll be there." He sensed her doubt even past the jelly and crust covered face. With that, he disappeared into the darkness heading down the steps. Most students on the day of their final test would've been out practicing their brains out trying to perfect their skills that needed some touching up. The only thing that might have gotten to her was that she hadn't been told what the test was, not even Ciel had told her. Sure, he'd been excited that she was now allowed to graduate, but he didn't reveal to her the final test. Over the years Will came to learn that Ciel was an honest and kind-hearted person, if anyone was in danger, he'd help them. If he had a chance to spare his enemy, he would, the opposite of Will. No, her true opposite was Maze, true foils they were. He was responsible, kind, unselfish, sensible, and hard working, while Will was selfish, immature, ill-behaved, sardonic, impulsive and overall indolent.

Before too much time had passed, Will had moseyed on down to the map room. She had expected it to be empty as always except for the few apprentices and tours that occasionally came wandering by, but it wasn't. In the center of the room, scanning over quest cards was none other than Ciel himself. He had graduated not long before her and had recently completed some sort of wasp quest. Two quest cards were held up in front of his face and he seemed to be contemplating which one to take. "Oh please." Looking over his shoulder Will saw that one of them said 'Attack Orchard Farm' and the other said 'Defend it'. She knew which one he would take, but why was he thinking so hard on it?

"No, it's not like that, I was wondering why someone would take this quest." he held up the one asking to attack the farm. Will shrugged, but just as she did someone snatched the card out of his hand. Both Will and Ciel turned in surprise. "Whisper?" Ciel frowned.

"Wish us luck Willy." The card was placed gently into her pocket. Her hat was seconds away from being shoved down her throat according to Will's offensive stance. "See you later farmboy." Seeing Will's look, she turned away and began heading off to her quest destination. Something grasped Will's arm firmly, she turned to see Ciel's face as calm and serene as usual. Will's stomach did a back flip.

"Revenge will get you nowhere Will." He said softly, letting go of her arm.  
"You've been hanging around the old man too much." Each day, Ciel was sounding more and more like the Guildmaster and Maze combined. And what a horrible combination that was. "It might not get me anywhere, but let me tell you it feels good."

"To each his own, I guess." Suddenly, his eyebrows rose in realization, "So I hear someone's graduating today." He grinned, messing up her hair. "About time too." It was true; her aging process was beyond doubt, pissing her off. They held a silence for a moment broken by two words from Ciel's lips, "Good luck." The sincerity was enough to make his enemies melt. Her answer was only a subtle head dip. Pivoting, she went to the area instructed by the Guildmaster.

The man saw her coming from almost a mile away, "Before you can graduate there is one more test you must complete." Will opened her mouth to say something, but sharply held it back, not a good idea to make him angry now, she was so close. "Head for the forest and go to the log at the top of the hill, the test will be revealed to you there." Great, more walking! If the test was to hit the log, Will had ever right to question the Guildmaster, but she doubted it'd be something that silly. The light fought its way past the thick trees shining a yellow beam on the green grass of the forest. The ray shimmered on the water's surface revealing any fish that might have been swimming in it. Glancing at her reflection on the mirror surface of the water, Will didn't linger long and made her way hastily to the log.

"I supposed you are wondering how you pass the final test then?" The question was answered with an exasperated, 'DUH'. It didn't occur to her who had asked the question, she just felt the need to answer. Feeling a little late and startled she found Maze standing next to the log behind her. "It's rather simple, you-…" she didn't let him finish.

"Wait…so your business was with the log?" she asked.

"Will you let me finish?"

"What were you doing with the log?"

"Will."

"I mean, I'm not trying to meddle or anything, but more pie would've been nice." By now, she'd completely blocked him out her mind somehow wandering all the way back to the scrumptious pie. Her eyes showed a dream-like state that pulled her away from reality.

"Will." He snapped his fingers in her face drawing her back to reality. Waiting patiently, she pursed her lips letting him know that he could continue. "You must defeat me, using the knowledge you've learnt over the years." All ideas of Maze and a log disappeared from her mind; **he** was the final test. "Now then, draw those swords of yours and hit me, if you can." She obeyed, the right corner of her lip arched upwards in content.

"Gladly." Hearing the ease in her voice, he teleported away to a location just behind her. Will predicted this quite easily and swung both swords, holding them a parallel distance from each other, in a straight line across Maze's body. He blocked it then leaped backwards grunting approvingly. She went again, left up, right down, and left down, right up. Maze blocked using his staff that doubled quite nicely as a double edged sword. Their blades clashed and slid against each other. After every few attacks, Maze would teleport away; he apparently knew how much Will hated running and was using that against her. The final blow she delivered was slightly fancier than the others; Will had rolled behind him with amazing speed and swung the sword at a wide sweep across his back. Will knew better than to kill her own teacher, the blade lightly scratched his back, just enough to draw a few trickles of blood.

"Very good, now shoot me with your bow." He hesitated. Everyone knew about her wild shooting, but no one had been killed…yet. "Don't get too close." Maze advised right before holding his staff vertically in front of him and disappearing once more in an accumulation of shimmering blue light.

"Someone has a death wish." Bow drawn Will drew the string back then let the arrow fly to wherever it wished. Right now Maze had every permit to fear for his life. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the third arrow flew into his blade he'd been using to block the girl. The other two had thunked into some poor trees quite far away from him. The last arrow nicked him across the cheek.

"Hm." He slid his thumb across the cut wiping away the blood. This was proving to be one of his most dangerous cases. Will was more erratic than the ocean tides. "Finally." The most dreaded task, "Cast lightning at me." She had enough power to blow him into oblivion, but he'd just have to trust her. Maze put up his guard and almost immediately felt lightning push him back a good inch or two backwards. A light shock shot through his arms, she was holding back, he could tell. Bit by bit, Maze felt his energy draining slowly from him, anymore and he might have been forced to his knees. Will showed no signs of stopping, her attacks were actually getting stronger by the minute, and she was getting too into it. Though, it wasn't her fault, it was impossible for her to see anything through the whirlwind of blue shooting from her hands. Thinking not much of it, she continued to let the lightning ensue; Maze hadn't told her to stop so she presumed that it was alright. "Will!" The strain in Maze's voice caused Will's lightning to discontinue instantly.

"Maze!" she ran towards him, he was on one knee, propping himself up with both hands around his weapon. Slowly, she lowered herself next to him, "Er, do I pass?" One eye was shut, teeth clenched, and there was an electric feel in the air around him, but he'd live. A groan, a nod, and a 'yes' was all that Will needed before she went leaping and skipping off to the entrance of the forest screaming. "YES, HAHA!" If his weapon weren't with him, there was a high probability that the old hero would've fallen sideways to the ground like a stiff statue. He watched the apprentice skip off merrily to find the Guildmaster. Using his trusty weapon, Maze heaved himself up into a standing position. Getting rid of the limp was easy when he emerged from the forest about a minute after Will who was jumping and spinning around the Guildmaster like a puppy. The Guildmaster turned his attention from Will to look at Maze, his eyes grew larger. Although, Maze couldn't blame him, he did look a tad beaten up.

"How'd it go?" The Guildmaster approached Maze, looking him over, his injuries were minor, but still no other apprentice had been able to touch him in their tests.

"Mm, how does it look like it went." He held out his arms showing the damage done to his body. In the background, Will cart-wheeled joyfully spinning around and around and around. What little ounce of dignity the girl ever had was gone, through the arm flails, head bobbing, all over the place yells of delight and twirls. "Hell of a way to act after striking down your teacher, huh?" Swinging her body around, balancing on one foot, she only grinned.

The graduation the next day was as elaborate as Will had imagined. Taking place in the Chamber of Fate, the event was attended by almost every member of the Guild. In proper straight lines, the apprentices all stood with their hoods pulled up in respective silence. Will had always wondered why it was called the 'chamber of fate', aside from being the oldest room in the Guild, there were paintings on the walls surrounding them. Loud, steady steps echoed through the round room as Will made her way down the aisle past the other apprentices. It was strange; just about every room in the Guild was round. The room was impressively massive, the center platform being slightly elevated with steps leading up to it. Will looked up, the room was a dome, decorated with alternating stone carvings of faces and colorful stained glass windows higher up. They might not have been windows, but nonetheless, they were colorful and stain glass; the only color projecting through the room.

As she got closer, Will noticed the Guildmaster, Ciel, and Maze standing in a triangle formation at the top of the platform. At the head of the triangle arrangement stood the Guildmaster. Ciel was unable to suppress his beaming smile, but Maze's face remained as serious as it always did. Both feet planted firmly on the ground. While the Guildmaster ranted on about becoming a hero and whatnot, Will tried her best to not fall over and sleep, her horrible attention span was a great downfall she had to admit. From the look on Ciel and Maze's faces, Will could tell that they desperately hoped that she didn't fall over sleeping like a baby. A gold coin-shaped object was placed in Will's apprentice gloves. Vaguely remembering that it was called a guild seal, she clipped it to the middle of her chest. Will calmly strode to the edge of the platform accepting the claps from all of the apprentices in the Guild. Their applause was only amplified because of the structure of the room, but it was still nice. Just behind her, Maze's smile, unseen by Will, was his only subtle hint of pride that he gave her. Further than that and people would suspect that he was sick or something.

_Does it do you any __good__?_

_To__** never**__ be understood?_

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Thank you for trying to read.


	6. Stupid people in large numbers

Chapter 6! Wow, late much? Ah, well. Thanks to those who read. Enjoy.

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_The world is still __**sleeping**_

_While I keep on __dreaming_

Puberty was a disgusting thing, full of horrible mood swings and fluctuating emotions. Most of Will's pubescent actions were taken out on Maze anyways. Poor guy. Many years had gone by since Will's graduation and to be honest, her life wasn't as different as it was before. Sure, it was more interesting with creative quests and whatnot, but usually Maze was right there next to her or yelling at her through her Guild seal one way or another. Appearance-wise, Will had begun to fill out in the proper places that a woman filled out in, her hair had grown out a good four inches past her shoulder. You think she'd be insanely happy about growing up, in fact, she was very pleased to finally look at least eighteen, but the greatest downfall was her damn chest. Sure, they were regular sized, but in almost everything she did, they got in the way, one method or another. Along with everything else, Will had hung up her apprentice clothes and bought herself some decent ones. The top of the suit was green and was highly similar to the will-users outfit, consisting of layers to cover her stupid chest, highly loose. Though, from just below her chest and down, it was a different, tighter layer that fit very snugly all the way down to her almost knee-high boots. The entire outfit was two different shades of dark green. Her guild seal held together the hood and short cape that draped down to her mid-back.

Just because they were bandits didn't mean they had poor hygiene and horrible fighting styles. Oh, who was she kidding, they were everything she expected them to be. They had yellow teeth, dirty nails, and a personality to match. Would it have killed them to use a comb for their hair, or brush their teeth every once in a little while? Their rancid breath was destroying Will's nose from the inside out. The thing was, it wasn't just their breath, it was their entire body, if it was possible for a green smoke to be emanating from their body…it would've been. Will prayed that none of them would lift their armpits; she would probably faint. Being cursed with an oversensitive nose was good for sniffing out exotic foods, but when it came to these villainous thieves, it was like throwing her into a den of hungry balverines. Will knew that bandits consumed alcohol, murdered, and pillaged for the sake of showing off their freedom, but that 'freedom' was being abused greatly. One sneered and spat onto the ground and Will actually waited to see if the spit was acidic enough to melt the grass. There had to be at least twenty, maybe about thirty…five of them and about half of them looked fairly drunk.

Back to back were Will and Maze, both sets of eyes flickering left, then right ready to catch any sign of movement from their attackers and react appropriately. "I think it's safe to say, we're outnumbered." Will nodded her head, her ponytail swung around in the process. Her sheepdog bangs that covered her entire forehead, barely brushing her eyebrows, were ruffled and messy. The hair that wasn't long enough to be tied back clung to the sides of her face with sweat.

"Stating the obvious in a dire situation isn't going to help us." Maze frowned. Through his voice, Will could tell that he was out of breath as well. "Come now Will, it's only bandits, we've gotten out of worse." Flinching, as one of the bandits inched closer, Maze put up his blade protectively in front of him anticipating his next move.

"Oh Maze, never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers." The retort was answered with an elbow nudge from Maze basically saying that this was no time for their usual banter. "Ow!" the exclamation was over exaggerated, but Will felt that it was needed. "Alright alright. You take the left flank and I'll get the right flank?" Will raised her red blotted blades waiting for some form of approval.

"Now!" At the speed of light, the two broke off in opposite directions. Will flew into a group of bandits casting the attack spell 'force push'. Every bandit within a twelve foot radius was blown back. Screams of shock and surprise were heard through the entire forest. A wonderful sight really, ten men flying backwards almost in slow motion, their arms swinging wildly and legs kicking frantically.

"Ho'shit!" A man who had escaped the destructive energy of her force push exclaimed loudly. He was actually very right, that force push was definitely a holy shit and a whole lot more than that. The spell wasn't even mastered fully and it harnessed more power than a powerful wizard. A few men had flown straight to their doom, one had flown towards a tree, a branch stabbed him through the back and protruded through the front of his stomach. Blood spilled from the man's mouth like an overflowing beer mug as he twitched until he could twitch no more. It was fairly easy to slice and dice the men who were still speechless and action-less about the brutal spell. Through the yelling and ripping of flesh, Will emerged from the crowd of bandits covered in blood and bruises. Three men dropped in heaps onto the ground dead. More readied their weapons and went at the girl. Will held up her hands motioning for them to wait a moment, they stopped, confused and inquisitive, but frowned when they saw the girl pull out a potion and drink it casually.

"Ah, good, carry on." Chucking the bottle at one of the men, it shattered on contact with his face, blinding him with glass. Using her flourish technique, two more fell. Will heard lightning from Maze's side of the bandits. She turned to check up on him, he'd taken down more than her; the feat was bringing out her competitive side. Maze evaded the bandit's attacks with ease and cut into them like they were nothing. Casting his two favorite spells, physical shield and heal, he continued forward. Bandits tried as hard as they could to hit him, but with physical shield cast, not a single blow landed. Spinning full circle, he dug his blade into three bandits simultaneously, since they were standing in a perfect line, like a bandit kabob. Grunting, he pulled his weapon out allowing the blood to spew onto his robes and fleck the lower portion of his face. There was no need to use much magic, they were only bandits after all. While Maze was blocking a few sword slashes from bandits, Will concluded that the most annoying part about bandits was that they knew how to properly block. She'd cleared most of her area and noted a crossbowman taking aim at her cohort. The man's finger barely made it to the trigger before the weapon dropped out of his hands; Will's lightning was extremely useful at the moment. Will rolled out of the way of three more arrows, "Take out the archers." She muttered to herself stabbing one through the chest. The other archer had put away his crossbow and was unsheathing his sword. He managed to block one of her swords, but was struck down by the other.

Unlike Maze, Will hadn't bothered to learn any of the helpful spells like heal or physical shield or something like that. Breathing heavily, she hopped backwards to where Maze was. He healed her, knowing her lack of non-attack spells. "Stay alert Will, I'm sick of saving your arse for the umpteenth time." He grunted, knocking a bandit's razor sharp blade away from his face. Will scoffed shooting lightning from her hands at a man closer than the others. Behind Maze, the bandit Will had blinded earlier snatched a sword from the ground and swung it wildly at Maze's backside. Physical shield had worn off and the sword made contact with flesh. His target fell to the ground still clutching to his weapon, feeling a stinging pain overwhelm his back. The bandit wasn't done; he continued to swing madly roaring to go with it.

"Duck!" came Will's voice. Maze did as instructed. Good thing he did for a powerful bolt of lightning snaked over his head and blew the man's head off. Other than the fact that it was raining blood and brain particles, Maze was alive and was already using a heal spell. Hands still radiating blue from the lightning, Will virtually skipped to Maze's side and bent over until her blue eyes met his, "What was that about saving _my_ arse?" The last of the men were closing in on the pair. After hearing Maze's grumbled response, Will used force push once more to buy them some time, still not taking her eyes off her teacher. Again, the men flew back with cries of fear and astonishment. A larger bandit landed on a smaller one. Hearing the bones crack, Will concluded that part of her job was finished. Will and Maze easily took out the rest, aiming low and high. "Ugh, and I didn't think they could smell worse." The duo stood amongst many dead, rotting, and smelly corpses. Holding her hand over her nose, Will followed Maze as he stepped over the bodies towards their objective.

There wasn't much to the quest, find one of the clan leaders and get information on Ciel's sister. A rumor had spread that she was out there and alive somewhere. Maze had informed Ciel a long time ago, but when this particular quest came up, no one could locate him. He was probably out on some quest or flirting with that girl he'd told Will about long ago. Finding his sister seemed to be more of a personal sentimental problem to Will anyways, Ciel could find out himself. For some strange reason, Maze seemed to be equally interested in finding her; perhaps he wanted to aide the boy in any way possible. Bandit clan leaders weren't hard to pick out; they often wore more elaborate clothing, masks, and wielded larger blades than the normal bandits. Rubbing the forming bruise on her left arm, Will used her dark green glove to wipe the blood off her face. The attempt didn't wipe it off at all, but rather smeared it across her chin. The camp was littered with lifeless carcasses that would probably smell horrible given a good amount of time for them to decompose. Maggots were going to have a feast tonight. Although Maze had his weapon down by his side, his body was stiff and his hawk eyes flicked in all directions fully observant and calculative. Finally, he located the target on a hill past the carnage and destruction; there was a tent larger than the rest.

The two didn't speak until they reached the hill. When Maze spoke, it was barely above a whisper, "This is their leader, and there might be many of them. Will, we must approach with caution, be subtle, we'll attack silently." Before all of the words had even been spoken, Maze heard the sound of metal slicing through fleshy tissue and a thud against the soil. The idiot had probably beheaded one of the guards and his wonderful insides were spilling to the floor as he spoke. Oh how right he was. Her action was met with a glare from Maze.

"What?" Will asked innocently.

"Forget it." He redrew his weapon and slashed down two men that had noticed the scene and were now defending the tent. "Find the leader, don't do anything permanently damaging until I get there!" Will nodded and sprung forward at the crowd of bandits. "Too many, I'll have to kill all of them." Maze could handle himself, and the entrance to the tent was within her reach.

"I'll try to hide my disappointment!" she yelled back at him.

Bursting through the tent without a single degree of refinement, Will held her twin blades in front of her, one pointing forward, the other shielding her frontage. At the opposite end of the tent stood a man who was significantly larger than the other bandits outside. His enormous, muscular arms drew his own twin blades without even turning around to see who his opponent was. In her hands, Will wiggled her own swords as if to say 'Hey look! We have the same weapons!' The large man put up his swords in an 'X' letter shape as his own guard, obviously waiting for the girl to make the first move. And that was exactly what Will was planning to do. He evidently underrated her swiftness, for within moments, Will was close enough to inhale the sweet stench of bandit breath. She jammed her blades into his, breaking his guard and carving a long deep gash across his chest. As the male fell backwards, weapons flying away, into the barrels and debris behind him, Will's hands began to exude a blue glow once again. "Oh right, no permanent damage…yet" A thin streak of lightning knocked the thug who was already halfway up, back down. Just to top it off, Will gave him a few swift kicks to the ribs.

"You're just a child!" Blood spurted from his mouth, gathering on his shaggy brown beard, turning it a shade darker, as the man coughed. Will smiled; she actually wasn't much younger than he was, oh the wonders of slow aging. The familiar blue streaked face became visible as Maze entered to find Will torturing the man with tiny blazes of lightning. Will had the same blue intertwining blue stripes across her face that indicated her explosive willpower, but for some reason, hers only appeared when she was using a tremendous amount of will-power. At this moment, they were showing lightly on her skin, but quickly disappeared.

"Enough!" Maze was actually starting to feel pity for the poor cringing man. They weren't here to torment the man to death, they needed information and Will was the one for this, he just wanted to observe and make sure she didn't 'overkill' him. She gave him thumbs up, kicked the man over onto his back and sat cross-legged on his blood coated chest. Getting comfortable, she placed her swords one on top of the other, like scissors, positioning his neck right in the danger zone. Maze had found a piece of cloth and was now nonchalantly cleaning his blood bathed blade.

"I need information and I need it now, what do you know about 'Twinblade'". For some reason, Will enunciated her words like he was a two year old and couldn't understand her. The man laughed, a watery, choking laugh, but it was definitely a pitiful sounding laugh. Will growled, "I don't appreciate your lack of cooperation." As she said those words, she closed the jaws of the scissors around his neck, not hard enough to decapitate him, but sufficient enough to draw blood and instill fear. It was then that the bandit realized that the girl would really decapitate him and he was in absolutely no position to be mocking her.

"O-Okay, I got some great information." His voice became shaky and desperate. "It's good, trust me!" Will's eyebrows rose in interest. "There's a Seeress that stands next to the Bandit King himself!" he waited, and only continued when Will opened the blades a bit wider. Feeling a bit further from death, he started speaking once more, wincing between each word and stopping occasionally to empty his mouth of excess blood. "She tells them when and where to strike next and stuff, profitable, eh?" The man nodded at high speed allowing Will and Maze to absorb the information. The way he looked from one person to the other was like a little puppy waiting to see if its master would hit him or pat him on the head. "Good, right? His camp is over next by Oakvale shore." A nervous laugh and heavy breathing followed, "So ya won't kill me?" He dared to say, feeling it was safe enough to question the girl.

"I never said that. Thanks for the tip though." A young girl's malicious smile was the last thing he ever saw before his world went eternally black. Maze had turned his eyes away and shut them; he was too focused on the new information they'd just received to do anything about the teen. There were many possibilities and opportunities that had sprung from this man who happened to have a plentiful supply of information. "Hey!" Maze awoke from his thoughts; "You caught that right?" he nodded. The next step was to inform Ciel of this information and send him on the quest to find out about his sister, "Maze, can we leave before my nose explodes?" Maze instructed her to teleport to Barrow fields. Placing two gloved fingers on her Guild seal in the center of her chest, Will disappeared into a flurry of blue light thankful for the fading scent of the bandits. Never had Will ever liked the feeling of teleportation, it felt like she was going to upchuck her previous meal of the day.

Barrow fields wasn't really an inhabitant area with families and shops, but was a trader outpost between Darkwood and Oakvale. Will looked over the multitude of tents set up with traders sitting around in a circle swapping stories and jokes. Some late risers were still snoring on their sleeping mats inside their tents. Only a second later, Maze appeared right next to her. Some of the traders were watching them with admiration and a hint of horror because of the blood that stained their robes. "Clean yourself up." Maze finally noticed the blood on their clothes and began walking towards the stone archway to Oakvale. "I'll be in front of the tavern; I need to have a chat with Ciel. He'll be along shortly. Find us when you're done with your everyday tomfoolery."

"Will do!" Now came the question of how to get the crap off her clothes. The lake close by would meet her requirements perfectly. Paying absolutely no mind to the couple men fishing in the lake, Will pulled out the string that tied her hair together. Will dove in clothes and all, splashing the fishing traders with water. It was fairly deep, but Will was still able to touch the bottom. The blue washed over her face and embraced her body, trying to leak into her mouth and nose. Her long hair spread out underwater and flew around her face as if it had a life of its own, gravity-less. Surprisingly, the blood came off without much of a fight and faded into the water with some help from Will's rubbing hands. When she emerged to the surface she was met with several angry faces, yelling and waving their fishing poles around like crazy. "Oh calm down, I didn't kill any of the fish." Shaking her wet hair, not really caring who the water got on, Will started wringing out her gloves.

In the midst of the trader's was someone who stood out a tad bit more than the others. His face had a single scar running from the tip of his left eye to the center of his right cheek. The normally spiky hair had grown out into a neat ponytail, tied back, not allowing a single strand to pester his face. Ciel crossed his arms over his helmetless chainmail suit scrutinizing the sopping wet girl. "I should've known. If you're not out wreaking havoc in the forest, you're doing so here." Will pointed in the direction of Oakvale. He held up a hand and in his bass voice, "I know, Maze right?" As he spoke, he strode to Oakvale and fell silent. Will knew why; it'd been a long time since he'd seen his hometown. What was it like now? The two received many stares, most of them directed at the girl who was dripping water. Ciel was feeling highly nostalgic even though he was home…somewhat. Leaves were gently spinning to the ground, silently brushing against the aged scarecrow that he had last seen his sister playing with. Gently, each leaf landed in the field painted with different colored leaves from the seasons. Skillfully, he jumped over the fence and crunched through the leaves until he was standing next to the scarecrow. Ciel ran a hand over its tattered clothing and ripped decorations hearing Theresa's laughter echo as she hopped and skipped around the scarecrow, playing her games, as excited as any other girl for their birthday. Unable to hide her uneasiness, Will spoke up.

"Well, not that this isn't really fun or anything, but I'm going to go dry myself off." Will clapped her hands together and took off leaving Ciel standing alone in the field. In the heart of the town stood a large tree surrounded by men carrying crates, chickens clucking, and women gossiping about the latest. A hilly path led to a long line of houses and just next to that was a sunny beach; perfect. Men were hauling wooden boxes from the docks into the town. Will easily weaved through them, probably getting water on them as well. Maze, who was standing in front of the tavern, only placed a palm to his forehead feeling another migraine coming on. Number one cause of those was Will.

Sitting on a rock, Will striped her boots and dumped the water out of each of them. Piece by piece, she took her clothes off and laid them out nicely on the beach boulders. After unhooking her weapons and placing them in the sand, Will stretched out her body. She wore nothing but a simple, knee length, spaghetti strap dress. Yes, underneath the armor, she astonishingly enough had a girlish frame. No one really came to this side of the beach, so it'd be rare for anyone to see her, except for the occasional guard who had to check if everything was alright. Avo help anyone who tried to steal her equipment. It was amazing how the sun could go from warm to scorching. Will had set herself down in the sand digging her toes into the grainy goodness. She actually hated sand, the way it stuck to her skin and dirtied her socks, but since she wasn't wearing any socks, she supposed it was fine. Her hair had finally dried and was blowing freely in the hot current of air from the sea.

"Will?" she heard still sand behind her being disturbed and was quick to respond. Will rolled over, grabbing her garments and pulling them on faster than anything in the world. When done with her body-wear, Will stood on top of the rock wiping her feet of every grain of sand. "It's me, Willy." She knew it was Ciel, she recognized his deep low voice. Will waved her boots into the air showing that she was trying to place them on her feet. She didn't appreciate being snuck up on, nor did she appreciate the name people so graciously dumped on her, 'Willy'. Careful not to get in her way, the hero sat down on the rock next to the struggling girl.

"What have you been up to recently?" Will had wiped off the sand and had dropped down to sit next to Ciel.

"I escorted two traders through Darkwood to Barrow Fields." Though he tried to hide the pride in his voice, Will could easily sense that he was trying to show off a bit. "And you?" he asked out of politeness.

"I infiltrated a bandit camp, taking out pretty much all of them. Then I interrogated their leader into giving some information and whereabouts of that bandit seeress that Maze probably told you about. After that I beheaded him." Will was better at hiding the fact that she was bragging, but it was still there.

"Way to make me feel inferior." He watched the girl pull on her dark green gloves and chuckled.

"I try my best." Her clothes weren't drenched anymore, but were still cold in contrast to the beach weather. "What'd Maze tell you?" The two chatted well into the day. Their conversation mostly consisted of Ciel's excitement of being able to find out more information on his sister and getting started on the quest as fast as possible. Will, for once, didn't want to rain on his parade by telling him that his sister being alive might have just been a really strong rumor. Ciel got up, wished his friend farewell and teleported to the Guild to obtain the quest card.

The waves sloshed against the shore turning the brown sand a darker shade of brown. Men shouted commands to those unloading the ships at the docks. All the sounds made Will think of her old home back at Hook coast, maybe she'd get a quest card to go there someday. Honestly, she could go there any time she wanted, but something kept holding her back. She felt that she needed some sort of reason to go there rather than just for a friendly visit. "Will!" Maze's voice dispersed whatever thoughts she was currently having about home. Springing up, Will took off in the direction of the voice. Soon.

_Left me in your __emptiness_

Thank you for reviewing and all that jazz.

_._


	7. Afraid of Ghosts?

Thank you to the seven of you that read this :{D

Ergh, yeah, I haven't put up chapters in a long time, I've been getting fairly distracted. Here's seven.

**Chapter 7**

_You see the things they never see_

_All you wanted, I could be_.

Whoever was a morning person deserved a prompt slap to the face. Those who weren't morning people like Will, preferred to sleep well into the afternoon, if woken up even one minute earlier the kid had a tendency to snap or act exceptionally hostile. The person who provoked these 'hostile' snaps was Maze, he just loved barging in and waking her up at some ungodly hour in the morning saying that they had to go on some 'urgent' quest and whatnot. And when something is done everyday, suspicions arise when that daily routine is broken out of the blue. Yes, even the old man missing his cue was something that worried Will. Let's start from the beginning.

Silence, complete and total silence filled the gray room. There was no light at all whatsoever, since this was the only room in the Guild that had no windows. Though Will had graduated and was supposed to be forging her own path in the world, she chose to remain in her little room in the Guild partially because of her laziness to go out and buy a house and partially because no one would ever use this room anyways, so she wasn't being a bother. Besides, a house was only bought if you were planning to get married or have kids. The bed made no sound as a figure shifted atop of it trying to find a better position to rest its head. Will yawned and pulled the blanket over her head shielding herself from the cold air the room trapped within it. The girl re-positioned herself again, this time because she wasn't able to fall back asleep…strange. "Something's not right." She grumbled pulled herself up into a sitting position. The blanket remained wrapped around her body like a cocoon, even in the upright position; the only visible part of her body was her untidy black hair and her tired blue eyes. By this time, Maze should've been in here pulling the covers off without a care in the world as to how the girl felt, but there was no sign of him. Will unraveled the blanket and gently brought her bare feet to the ground. She'd learned from her past mistakes of having bare feet on cold hard floor, it was cruel on her poor feet. So now, she'd gone to town and bought herself a nice pair of furry shoes, soft to the touch and kept her feet warm.

Not even making any effort to fix her scruffy morning hair, Will wiggled her toes inside of the soft shoes and walked straight out of her room. Her usual clothes were hung neatly on a chair, but Will didn't even take a glance at them and as she neared her door, she pushed it open and walked right out. Her notion was confirmed when the clock read four in the afternoon instead of six in the morning. The adolescent was an awful sight, her eyes had a glossy look to them and the trail of spit that had formed sometime in the night had dried into a crusty trail covering part of her face. A completely blue outfit adorned her body very loosely. One look and you could tell that they were pajamas, the way the sleeves were longer than her hands by almost a foot and by how one side drooped low enough to expose her pale shoulder. Yawning once more, hoping to get oxygen to her brain, Will scratched her head. Her hair was elevated a good inch higher than it normally would've been. Newer apprentices looked in pure confusion at the girl; the older ones who were used to her strange behavior rolled their eyes.

Almost automatically, Will journeyed up the stairs to Maze's quarters and low and behold, there he was. Sitting in a chair in front of the unlit fireplace, reading a book was Maze. He looked up as if he'd been expecting her for a while now. "Oh my." The book dropped out of Maze's hands with a thud onto the floor. There was Will in all her pajama glory rubbing her eyes like nothing was erroneous. The white-haired man cleared his throat and reached into his pocket, pulling from it a small card. "Care to join me?" holding the card between two dark fingers, Maze waved it waiting for an answer. Still smacking her dry chapped lips, Will yanked the quest card from his hands and scanned it over.

"Why is it so interesting?" As always, Will never read it, she just looked at the picture to see if she liked it or not, then accepted the quest. "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?" No harm in asking, it's not like she wanted him to everyday, but she wanted to know why today was special.

"Because, I wanted to see how long you could go" He responded pulling the card out of her hands and looking at it himself. His experiment settled very well with Will. She was able to sleep longer than usual. "It's baffling me quite a bit. No one knows who put it down." Maze flipped the card over several times just to see if there was anything on the back, "Tell me Will, do you believe in ghosts?" That was a controversial question which was answered with unintelligible babbling on Will's part.

"I'm in." Will declared. Apparently this had something to do with ghosts or something out of this world. Mystery and curiosity had a funny way of meshing together like a couple. Inside, Will could feel excitement bubbling up and spreading through her entire body pushing away whatever amount of tiredness she had left. "Let's go!" her joyful rampage was halted by a weight on her shoulder.

"Will." Maze said softly.

"Yes?"

"Put some clothes on."

Will sheepishly stared down at her pajamas suddenly remembering that was all that she wore. Laughing nervously, she waved her arms around, fishing her brain for an explanation while slowly backing out of the room. The poor girl was so focused on trying to explain her outfit that she didn't realize she'd backed right into the stairs. Maze winced at each sound and yelp he heard. "Oww, warn a person!"

"Nonsense, you're still breathing,"

After Will had gone through her morning routine, she met up with Maze just outside of the Guild fully ready and clothed. He informed her that the quest was located at the Oakvale memorial garden. Will felt that now might not have been the most fitting time to admit to Maze that she had a slight fear of the supernatural. It was only sensible to have the old wizard hold onto the quest card since Will would probably end up losing it in the stupidest way possible. When ready, the pair teleported directly to the entrance of the Oakvale Memorial Garden. A man stood, constantly asking all Heroes who passed by if they needed to hire a swordsman. As the two neared the Memorial Garden, there was a man pacing nervously across the wet grass, mumbling quietly to himself. "Oh thank Avo you're 'ere!" The man looked simple enough with his standard thinning hairline, pale complexion, and stubble covered chin. A shaky hand adjusted his thin rimmed, perfectly round glasses that slid down the bridge of his nose no matter how many times he tried to fix them. "Everyone in the whole town's scared outta their minds!" Will made a face, his voice sounded like he had a ball lodged in the back of his throat. "The sounds come 'round nightfall, over there." Will and Maze's gaze followed where the man's arm was directing. The two spotted large stone doors that possibly lead to a mausoleum. "I'm gettin outta here!" He left the pair standing in the middle of the Memorial Garden with only that for information.

One single word had zoned Will out for the entire conversation, "Nightfall?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at Maze.

"I suppose so." He didn't seem too bothered by the higher pitch in Will's voice and moved to the slab of stone sticking out of the ground directly in front of the mausoleum. Paying no mind to Will's sputters and arm waving, he sat down leaning his back against the cool stone, shutting his eyes momentarily. His blue eyes reopened to meet Will's angrier looking ones.

"So we're just going to sit here watching grass die until this thing shows up?" This was unbelievable; she knew that being able to get up wondrously late was too good to be true. She was now going to be trapped here with the most boring person in the world for a good four to five hours. Maze was already sitting down and Will knew better than to try and change his mind, when he made a choice he stuck with it to the end. Not even trying to put up a fight, Will parked her butt in the grass in front of the stone wedged into the ground; a childish pout had found its way onto her face.

"Patience is something you must come to learn Will." Maze leaned his head against the rock resting his eyes, his voice sounded far off and distance like he was ready to float off to dream-land.

"There are a lot of things I must come to learn, Maze, but those things really aren't happening." Squirming, the young hero stretched her limbs and tried to mimic Maze's style of relaxing, ultimately failing.

Then find a way to entertain yourself." It was obvious the girl was having trouble sitting still. And Will's definition of entertainment was a wide range of things.

"I can't, you're here."

"Good point."

A strange tranquility came over Maze's face. He might have been deeply sleeping for all Will knew, "Find a way to entertain myself, huh?" Using her hand to hold herself up, Will sat up on her knees, leaning forward closer and closer to Maze's unmoving face. Holding in a stifled giggle, Will gesticulated madly with her unoccupied arm waiting for a reaction. As estimated, none came and Will was free to commence step two. A gust of wind blew a few strands of Maze's white hair, delicately wiping across his dark forehead. The event didn't rouse the man in the slightest. He sat as still as a sculpture, much like those people who were required to sit still for the portrait.

The poor black insect writhed and wriggled against the young girl's pinch on one of its legs. Curse the deficiency of the natural ability to spit poison or do something of that sort. Nope, this bug was completely defenseless and at the mercy of whatever the large green-gloved girl was going to do to it. Will held the creature by one of its legs, securely enough to keep it from getting away and scurrying off to safety. This task required meticulous precision to the highest level, with precise calculations of the arm arrangement and object trajectory. She couldn't afford a single mistake to occur, for it'd be all over. In simpler terms…let's see if dropping this bug down Maze's throat will choke him! So close, the insect was dangling just centimeters away from his face all ready to…

"What are you doing?" The old wizard's eyes didn't even flinch and yet he somehow knew that he was the 'entertainment' she'd settled for. She knew she'd been caught, but decided to humor him anyways.

"There was a bug on your face…" With that, she dropped the bug to the floor, "Got him off, nasty little guy." The bug, thankful to be free, scurried off in a drunk-like pattern to the closest rock crevice. There went the rest of her entertainment for the day. Maze, who knew that a bored Will was a highly dangerous one, did not want her to try something else 'amusing' to her. Might as well give it a go, he had nothing to lose.

"Here Will, lean back and close your eyes, empty your thoughts." What baffled him was that she actually complied to his request. A shot in the dark, but nevertheless, it was a lucky shot in the dark. He felt her exhale harshly as a sign that basically said, 'I give up.' Maze released the breath he hadn't realized that he'd been holding and relaxed his shoulders. There was only so much he could let go of when Will was around, he couldn't be too careful around the kid. Most of his plans had been set in motion, in the not too distant future, the boy's sister would be found and everything would be complete. Fear had inventive ways of sneaking through the backdoor of ones mind and overcoming any common sense that tried to help. As did the little thing called denial roomed itself very nicely with the fear. Maze couldn't bring himself to the truth of whether tasks he was performing were wrong or right. Blank, that's what he'd told will, keep your mind blank. He appeared to be doing just the opposite what with all the disturbing thoughts penetrating his mind. It didn't matter; the future was so far and yet so close. Nothing devastating would happen, at least… not yet.

Something rather heavy created weight on Maze's left shoulder. Startled, he opened his eyes and looked to see what was happening. The idiot, whatever attempt Will gave at peace or silence always ended in dozing off for the girl. Mazes immediately shoved her off, not caring if she hit the grass glaringly or not. Within a second, the head had lolled back onto his shoulder creating the uncomfortable heaviness for a second time. The routine went on for about four more times, but each time, like a magnet, Will's head plopped straight back onto his shoulder. A thought occurred to him, was she doing this on purpose? Was this another one of her ideas of poking fun? If that was the motive, then her face was just moments away from being crushed into the floor. As if to deride him even more, the girl began snoring softly. Or perhaps she really was asleep. The best way to get on Will's nerves was to let them know that whatever she was doing didn't bother him, so he merely looked the other way.

Now Will was far from adorable sleeping princess, it was more along the lines of disgusting drooling hobbe. The light snoring that had started had grown comparatively louder. Her mouth hung open in a humorous sneer and Maze's robes were in jeopardy of becoming a sopping wet spit bowl. But, this was all the serenity that Maze could ever hope to acquire and he would take what he could seize. From the mausoleum, there came a tapping sound, as laid-back and rhythmic as any other tapping sound. Much like a simple knock you gave when you were out visiting a friend's house, or a warning tap you would give a shopkeeper if they were taking too long with your items. Maze listened intently; the tapping grew in volume until it was like dropping a stone into the water. Then it stopped, complete and total silence settled once more. The rapping continued again, this time it became louder than a million drums beating, Maze made no move to investigate and instead looked at Will. He envied her; she could sleep through a lethal inferno and not wake up until her entire body was incinerated. Moreover, she could sleep for hours upon hours, Maze had allowed her to sleep for over twelve hours and yet, here she was snoring away.

Murmuring wordlessly, Will began to stir. Overcome by an unexpected sense of panic, Maze pushed her off his shoulder roughly, ending in the girl's hard impact with the turf. "Huh whuh, what happened?" Her mind was still groggy and jumbled, but she controlled herself long enough to sit up rubbing her half shut eyes. Will felt a little happier that it had gotten darker, but what had happened when she was asleep. And what a cozy sleep it was, her head had found something soft apparently.

"Listening to the melodious sounds of your snoring." Maze started to situate himself in the standing position. His distant blue eyes locked with the crypt doors, daring the tapping to start again. This is what they had come for and he wasn't going to leave just like that.

"Tch! You snore too." Will scoffed using the help of the rock to prop herself up. Never get up too fast after a long nap, there were always devastating results to doing so. The slab was working out nicely as a backrest for Will; she stood at a funny slant leaning her backside against the now warm stone.

"How would you know?" Maze was paying attention to the door, but Will knew that all of his interest was on her most recent words.

"You remember that 'squirrel' that got into your room sometime in the night and flipped the entire room upside down?"

"Yes." He answered cautiously dreading to hear her continue.

"Wasn't a squirrel." Will finished quickly, blinking the sand from her eyes. "And that's what you get for hiding my stuff in your room."

"I think I liked you better asleep."

Will squeaked at the tapping sound that started up again and proceeded to hide behind Maze, "What was that?" Will's eyes had never moved in such a fast trend. She never really did figure out why she'd developed such a fear for ghosts. At the Guild, when Will was younger, some older apprentices had locked her in a closet and made wraithlike sounds to terrify her utterly for their own sick pleasure. Hours upon hours, the child sat with her knees drawn to her chest, just sitting, no tears, and no cries for help. When Maze had asked why she was in there instead of studying for the past few hours, she never answered truthfully.

"I've been trying to figure that out." He knew the source of the sound, but wondered if opening it was the wisest idea. It might have released something evil upon Oakvale. Doors were placed in certain locations for a good reason. Unable to take the suspense anymore, Will acted out of impulse, moving forward and pushing the stone doors straight open. A fraction of the girl wanted to say that ghosts didn't exist and the sound was a persistent rat, which was pretty much what provoked the sudden act. "Will stop!" Hands shaking and a scream ready to fly out, Will was faced with endless darkness and a long flight of stairs leading into the earth. Without warning, an invisible force, like a pair of hands grabbed Will by the shoulders and pulled her in towards the dark and down the stairs. Her arms thrashed as she vanished from view into the shadows.

"Maze!" she automatically screamed as she went plummeting down deeper and deeper, it felt as if she was going to hell. She was absolutely positive, she was being held firm by two hands around her upper arm. Undoubtedly, they were stronger than her, so the futile attempts at freedom all botched. Will clawed at her arms, but all she got were nail marks on her skin, maybe she was just going crazy. Her ethereal arm clamps led her to a dome-shaped room with a giant casket in the center. The casket was black with golden streaks across it, meaning the person in there was exceptionally wealthy. "I believe, I believe." At this point, Will was probably hyperventilating. Then again, if anyone were to be grabbed by the arms and dragged against their will halfway to hell, then suspended in midair by some otherworldly force, they'd by shaken up too. The angry lashing out and dramatic body movements had not stopped, "Put me down!" Like it was listening, it complied, dropping Will to the ground with a small 'oof'. "Gently." She scoffed standing up and brushing herself off.

Now then, a way out, Will still had enough of her wits about her to think clearly. The entire place was dark except for the glow from the casket which seemed to be illuminating everything. Where was Maze? Did he follow? A noise shattered Will's thoughts entirely. "Wait please." The voice was hollow, like a child. Along with that, it carried a far-away quality, almost evanescent. "Please." Hauntingly soothing were the two words that Will would use to describe the tone distinction. From the few syllables she'd just heard, Will inferred that the voice was female. Her voice sounded strained, like she was talking softly on purpose, but she also could've had a naturally soft-spoken voice. It reminded Will of when her mother told her scary stories; she'd use the same lingering voice to add a little something to the story. Rather than faint on sight of the person standing just an arms length away from her, Will stared in awe, intrigued by the girl's appearance. Though her entire body was white and transparent, Will watched her hair dance freely around her head, floating as if she were standing underwater. When she walked, she left an ephemeral cloud of white that could not live without her presence.

"I…er." Her form came in and out of focus in her cloak of vaporous translucency. Will studied her for a moment, trying to calm herself. The dead girl seemed to be no threat to Will's life. Though every inch of her body was see-through, Will saw that she wore a wedding dress, her hair color ranged from a dark red to a light brown, and she was decidedly no threat. Will's stuttering was stopped by a fluid motion of the woman's hand. Almost eagerly, the girl floated forward to the young hero. Amazingly, Will didn't step back, probably out of complete and total paralysis of the body and mind.

"My name is Emilie." In return, Will introduced herself. Slowly, she held out her hand to be shaken remembering at the last second that she probably would be able to touch a ghost. Emilie smiled and played along, holding out her hand just close enough for the cold white mist to barely brush her outstretched palm. "I used to live in Bowerstone North, my fiancé Khail and I were to be married." To emphasize that, she looked herself over sadly. The wedding dress formed and faded occasionally on her body, a soft white glow surrounded her. "Moments before my wedding I was murdered." The paralysis that gripped Will's figure had worn off, allowing her to actually identify what the girl was saying. "My husband is getting remarried, but I fear the woman is only after his fortune." In the endless white, Emilie had folded her hands, pausing for a brief moment. "I'm fearful. I believe it was his current fiancé who brought my end and will bring upon him, his." She continued, "When they are wed, she will obtain the money in the event of his death." The woman seemed to get more and more restless the further she explained. "I don't know how, but please protect him." Will wanted desperately to ask why she didn't want him to die so that they could be together, but decided against it, her word choices were never the best anyways.

"Will!" Heavy boots were heard running into the room. With a flustered look on his face and weapon already drawn, Maze aimed his staff at the unidentified form that was not Will. A little late, but at least he was here. Maze's weapon dropped when he saw the annoyed look that Will' face was twisted into.

"My Hero." It was finally Will's turn to put her palm to her forehead. The ghost actually smiled at the bland words that escaped from the girl's mouth.

"I told you not to open the door!"

"Why not? You were taking so long!"

"I tell you this over and over, you need to think things through. Look where it landed you!"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"Your father?" Emilie presumed, though the two had no resemblance, the way they communicated with each other was very similar to that of a father and daughter.

"Oh, eugh, not even, no." Will clarified it very nicely and turned her attention back to the problem at hand. Maze listened as Will explained to him the dilemma in detail. "Don't you think it's a bit suspicious for him to die right after the wedding?" Adding to the aspect that his first wife also died right before their marriage and this new lady suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

"Proof." Indeed, the case could be as suspicious as possible, but if the culprit was clever enough to dispose of the proof, then it was all over. Emilie watched the two leave and whispered a small piece of information before their departure, "Don't let Khail know I sent you." The sun was coming up over the mountains, Will's sleep schedule had been ruined indefinitely.

Finding the place wasn't as hard as the duo had thought; the wedding had been set up in an extravagant manner. Decorative purple streamers hung across the whole north side of the town draping themselves over neatly arranged flowers. Those who were setting up ran around like mice, making preparations; food, guest list, and accommodations. They had learned that the mayor of Bowerstone was coming to the wedding, and Lady Grey was not a woman wise to displease. Outdoor weddings were becoming more popular these days. "I don't know about you, but I have no idea where to start." Will examined the district, but was sidetracked by the elaborateness of the streamers and velvet red carpet stretching to a podium that was empty for now.

"There looks about right." Maze had his eyes fixed on a round windowpane, small enough to retain privacy, but large enough for the will-user to see a man standing at the window fixing his formal attire. The man he was looking at was no more than a boy, hardly over twenty five and clearly innocent to the harsh world around him. His hair was a sandy brown and his eyes matched perfectly, round and full of curiosity. Maze sighed, if Will was smart, then she would've followed his gaze to where the boy was, but just to make sure, he checked. Will wasn't in the spot where she had last been. Instead, Maze caught her by the elaborately embellished food table, hovering eagerly over the pastries. Will choked on a jelly filled pastry when Maze yanked her hood, half choking her. Not like he cared. "Stealing is a very serious crime." Still holding on, he dragged her away from the food and to the house of the young man.

"But Maze." She whined, "They were jelly filled." Pulling would do nothing for her, she was no match for his strength. "If they leave food out like **that**, it's technically free." He didn't let go of her until they were in front of two guards protecting the front door of Khail's house. The two recognized Maze and let him through with a bow of respect. Will trailed after; the action provoked an exchange of worried looks between the guards. In the house, there were three more guards the two encountered all of which let them through without too much question. Khail had moved away from the window and greeted his two unexpected visitors.

"Maze. I'm honored." Khail smiled warmly and looked at the girl with a sharp wince. He didn't worry; Maze knew how to keep the young girl in line…somewhat. "Ah, you're the girl who set the hobbes loose on the town." Will shrunk, he remembered. She knew that she'd seen him somewhere before, they just never chatted blissfully with each other over tea. "Accident." It wasn't her fault, Maze had decided to use a training exercise that involved summoning hobbes all over the forest, then ordered her to finish all of them. Luckily, he was there to get rid of them later, but still… "The well-renowned Maze is attending my wedding ceremony?" Will's mouth was bursting with answers, but when she leaped forward and unbolted her loaded mouth to spew out the explanation, she felt Maze's hand quickly clamp over her mouth. The explanation came nevertheless, as unintelligible and garbled as it was behind Maze's hand, it was still said. Most people understood that if someone put a hand over their mouth, they should immediately stop talking for good reason. Will here continued until she was finished, actually thinking that Khail had heard it.

"Yes, but we'll be watching from a more discrete location." Maze kept his hand over Will's mouth for safety measures. Khail didn't question the two anymore. He only nodded, thanked them, and then walked away. "You think he'd be happier on his wedding day." A muffled reply came from his hand that had not been removed yet. "He still misses her." Will gasped and coughed like she'd been trapped underwater for too long, slapping Maze's hand out of petty anger.

Sunset, what was said to be the most romantic time of the day. Where couples would sit and stare at the sun going down, and share between them a passionate, lasting kiss that promised _forever_. Maze stood on the balcony in his signature stance with his weapon leaning on the wall nearby and his hands linked behind his back. The main idea was to not draw too much attention to themselves, so the two watched the weddings from afar. Will leaned dangerously over the balcony; she was more interested in the wedding than Maze had thought. Averting from his thoughts, Maze watched Will's eyes grow calm as she watched with silent interest at the ceremony. "I never knew you'd be one to like weddings." Before tottering off the edge, Will pulled herself back scoffing.

"Naw, weddings are too sappy." Her eyes said otherwise. It then occurred to Maze that underneath the sardonic remarks and foolish acts of misdemeanor, there was a normal girl buried within. Will returned her concentration back to the wedding; Khail was standing on the platform, all eyes were on the wooden doors opposite the platform. Whispers of adoration and admiration erupted from the spectators as the door opened and from them emerged a woman lavishly dressed in a wedding down. Long, flowing and white, there had been much gold put into creating the masterpiece. Will found herself stunned by the woman's beauty, even Maze had given a slight turn of his head to observe the service. The angel-like woman moved with a grace that was hardly ever seen these days, each step was careful and precise on the flower petals that were sprinkled across her path. Her hair was a light red, almost pink from what Will saw. The strawberry tresses fell freely, softening her oval face, almost touching her waist. Will-dear never judged a book by its cover, in fact, when she met someone, she automatically hated them until they could prove her wrong. The same went for this woman who had stepped elegantly onto the stand next to her fiancé. She suddenly felt someone standing hazardously close to her, it was Maze, he had somehow moved from his spot on the opposite side of the balcony and moved to stand by Will. She inched away; Will never liked standing close to people, much less touching them. No, she's no clean freak, but maybe felt a slight discomfort in physical contact with anyone. "Something wrong?"

"I sense a power." Will unsheathed her blades at Maze's words. She wanted to question as to if it was just her or not, but Maze would've mentioned that long ago. In their over-alertness, the wedding had commenced, the two becoming married and the crowd breaking out in dance and song. Instruments played and laughter filled the air, the more skilled dancers moved to the center and the others ambled around the food table, admiring those in the center of attention. Will rotated her shoulders and relaxed, casting a funny look at Maze, she lowered her swords. Maze didn't look convinced, and for good reason. A scream, a single scream broke out amid the crowd. The Heroes ran to the edge of the balcony. "Over there!" he pointed for the confused Will who was looking just about everywhere but the correct vicinity. People scattered from the scream to reveal a man lying motionless on the floor and something standing right next to him. It was not human, it was much smaller, maybe half the size of a human; a hobbe. The white overgrown toe with legs was waving its stubby arms in the air in triumph at its kill, making a sickly sound that sounded like mating mice. Another victim fell to the hobbe's axe. "Will." At the word, Will raised her hand and shot a long distance streak of lightning at the creature. It hit the creature spot on, torturing it until it flew backwards, a black ball of burned flesh.

A few claps erupted into the thunderous sound of many. Will dropped her hand that had thrown the lightning, the distance it went was amazing she had to admit, but all her will-energy was gone. Everyone had started clapping admiringly at the young girl and just when she was about to bask in it, Maze had moved suddenly to the entrance of the balcony. She was about to question, but then she heard it too, the sound of more than one hobbe from behind the door. Weapon drawn, Maze yanked the door open using the lightning spell to push them back. He held his weapon in front of him for protection then leaped into the crowd, swinging his staff in a wide arc knocking them down. Then, he whirled it in a sweeping motion knocking the next wave off its feet. "Why are there so many?" Will brought up her swords and proceeded to assist him. A low rumbling roar and the sound of shifting rocks stopped Will from helping Maze. She ran back to the edge of the balcony and looked down at the wedding site. There, right in front of the podium was a giant rock troll, composed of the surrounding ground type. The troll bellowed, shaking off some loose rock from its body. People ran in all directions screaming and knocking over the beautiful decorations.

Will frowned, her will energy was all gone and Khail was nowhere to be found, he was the one they were supposed to be protecting. Maybe the whole balcony thing wasn't the best idea. Finally, she spotted him backed up against a wall at the mercy of the troll. All of its focus seemed to be on him. Just behind a statue was Khail's wife. Will stared; his wife's eyes looked like she was concentrating greatly on something. Aside from that, she wasn't running for her life like the other guests. "Summoning?" she had at last pieced it together, "Maze!" If he could've slapped her right now, he probably would've; there were over twenty hobbes on top of him and Will was lost…again.

"Use your bow!" Maze pushed another hobbe away; it growled a low throaty sound and came back at him. Their focus was on Khail, so Will had to defend Khail at all costs. Obeying, she pulled out her bow and aimed the arrow at the troll, but not before using the last bit of her will to cast multi-arrow on the bow. Four arrows flew at once and since Will was the one firing, not a single one hit its mark; one landed at its feet, another in a chair, the next planted itself inches above the bride's head, and the last one crashed into the food table.

"NO!" devastated, Will watched the food table crumble to the ground, the cakes and pies sliding off, piling into each other creating a great big mush of sweets on the ground. She tried again, aiming at the troll, but missing horribly, each arrow landing completely off.

"Will!" Maze had almost disappeared in the swarm of hobbes. "What are you even aiming at?" he was holding his own, but there were so many of them, he was definitely going to be occupied for a while.

"I'll tell you when I hit it." Another arrow was drawn back and shot. The two tiny orbs that revolved around Will indicating the multi-arrow was cast had vanished. Through the rain of free flying arrows, the troll had become irritated and had turned its attention away from pelting 10 ton boulders at Khail and had begun to pelt them at Will. "Maze!" she rolled out of the path of two boulders thrown at her with every intention of flattening her. Maze was gone in the sound of dying hobbes and was in no way able to aid her. While rolling, Will felt something poke her side, it was the wooden stick she'd been given for training. Hastily, she pulled it out and held it like a sword.

"What are you doing!" the amount of hobbes had depleted, but there were still enough to keep Maze busy for the time being.

"Improvising?" The troll hurled a rock at Will. Stepping back, Will swung the stick slamming it into the rock sending it flying back towards the monster. It crashed successfully into the monster knocking it backwards a few feet. Khail had moved to safety and Will was able to swing with all of her might, which wasn't much, but it got the job done. As each boulder slammed against the stick, Will's arms vibrated, rattling her all the way to her throbbing head. Successfully, the girl was able to return each boulder, crashing all of them into troll, to her surprise. Who said fire against fire never worked? Her arms hurt and her breathing was becoming heavier, physical things were never her forte. Arms shaking from the immense amount of physical work, Will watched in despair as another boulder flew at her. With all the appendage muscle she could congregate, the stick swung once more hitting the boulder off course. That was it, she was done, the stick fell from her unsteady hands and a series of tired pants came from Will. She looked up just in time to see the boulder fly straight for Khail's still unmoving wife whose mind was still engaged in something else other than the chaos unfolding around her. "Hey lady!" too late, the boulder easily crushed her body, crunching her bones to smithereens. "Eh, I tried."

Maze calmly walked out onto the balcony, brushing himself off, completely unscathed. The summoned monsters had disappeared and Khail was alive. All the villagers remaining including Khail had begun applauding once more for the heroes. "Nicely done."

"Are you ill?" Will asked.

"Deathly." He replied.

_You try to hide your thoughts inside_

_There in your empty life._

_Thank you for reading :{D_


	8. Spelling 'hits', the right way

Murgh, well, I'm not being very diligent with my updates now am I? Anyways, big thanks to the very few people who read this… it helps. I suffer from low self esteem. Anyways! Chapter 8! Enjoy.

_Now you know me_

_And I'm not afraid_

Forests were a thing of beauty, of endless greenery and calming sounds. It was a place for someone to go for some quiet thinking and mental stability. The way the trees swayed, gently brushing against one another, creating shelter for travelers and animals of every kind. Some people went there to get away from all civilization to find themselves, feeling safe and secure, hidden away by the gentle trees. Why people felt like that, Will would never know, she frowned as she hacked through another pile of bushes angrily destroying any poor wildlife that somehow got in her way. The whole thing would've been simpler if Maze had left the note saying Ciel's exact location and coordinates rather than, 'Meet Ciel in Witchwood.'. "Oh yeah, real specific." A branch cracked, splintering as it fell. Her last mission had been very successful; she'd taken down a troll and saved a rich man's life, which meant…more money for her. Will paused for a short breath, remembering how the quest had ended. Khail had thanked and rewarded them quite nicely, but Will desperately hoped that there would be no more quests as tiring and as sappy as that. 'Sappy' being Khail had secretly followed Will and Maze back to the tomb and was reunited with his deceased wife.

Will made a face when she remembered watching the two exchange longing looks with each other. Emilie knew she would never be able to touch him again, or feel his warmth against hers. Her cold hand had reached out and caressed his face sadly and he did so with her. Strange to see, a floating, fading woman in a wedding dress and a warm, living being in his tux standing just in front of her. Maze had turned away when the woman began to slowly fade into the air, her hand remaining on her husband's face. Will could've said so many things to him at that moment, but held her gaze as Emilie faded into thin air leaving Khail behind with his fingers suspended where her pale face should've been. Will could've sworn she saw a transparent tear delicately slide down her cheek, unnoticed. Before anything interesting happened, Maze had nudged her away silently.

Teleportation existed for a reason, and that sole reason was to get a person somewhere. Earlier, Will had teleported herself around randomly, but the end results were usually a tired girl and no more will-power. "And I liked these shoes." Mud covered the sole of Will's boots; this little task was becoming more and more irritating. Things could not really get that much worse, her will-power was gone, she was tired, and oh look a rock troll. Will scowled; emerging from the ground in front of her, with a deep growl, was an earth troll, stronger than rock trolls and twice as annoying. This was actually all a big case of déjàvu from her last quest; will-power gone, tired, but the only different part was that this time Will didn't have her stick. "Shoot." Her bow and arrow was obviously going to fail miserably, so her only option right now was rolling around like a ball to dodge the attacks, her ponytail whipping around wildly. One boulder slammed right into her back knocking Will into a bush. Will's back cracked in a funny spot that worried her a bit, "Hm, that didn't really sound good." She began wriggling around in the bush trying to fix the crick in her backside obviously assuming that the troll would wait for her to finish. On the bright side, she could completely blame this on Maze because he made her do this…yes, that was good, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

The troll shifted its stone body to face Will, glowering at her with its red eyes barely showing between two slabs of rock. With a deep grunt, it flung another rock at Will. The rock only hit her in the arm as she rolled away, but it still hurt. Now the arm was completely paralyzed and unable to propel her anywhere else. At that moment, Will heard two sounds, the sound of an arrow whisking over her head and the sound of a dying rock troll sinking back into the earth. Will had rolled over onto her back with a frown, Maze? No, Maze would've watched her suffer a little longer before blowing the thing up. Also, he didn't use arrows.

Just above her, Will saw a hand outstretched, offering to help her up. She looked up into the face of another girl; her hair was dark brown and short, barely passing her chin. Her eyes, though hazel had a funny glassy appearance to them like she blind, but not. Will naturally ignored the hand, stood on her own and walked past the other girl. To Will's surprise, the girl remained frozen in that position still thinking that Will was there. "Uh hi! I'm over here." Normally, she would've made the girl stay in that position for a long time, but seeing as she'd saved her life, now they were even. The other girl turned and blinked several times with a look of absolute disbelief on her face.

"You can say thank you." Damn it, the girl was following, Will didn't like some person on her tail, but might as well make the most of it.

"For what?" she asked indifferently, continuing through the forest to find Ciel who was going to get a good talking to when she found him.

"I just saved your life!" Wow, her voice was annoying; it just got higher and higher with each passing second. At that, Will walked faster as if that would actually get rid of the girl.

"No, you wrecked my demise." Will retorted as-a-matter-of-factly. A loud thud behind her actually caused Will to stop. Pivoting, she saw that the stranger had collided with the tree just behind Will. Her jaw dropped and Will laughed so hard, her sides felt like they were splitting. In the middle of gasping for air in her fit of laughter, Will put up a hand, "I'm Will, are you blind or are your eyes just horrible?" There wasn't a single ounce of effort in trying to repress the endless giggles.

"It wasn't that funny," the girl grumbled, stumbling over to where Will was. "I'm Terra." She placed an arm on Will's shoulder for balance immediately causing her to flinch away, "And I'm not blind." So it was bad eyesight. Will looked confused, the arrows she'd shot had hit the troll straight on, better than Will could've ever done. "I know who you are." Will smiled knowingly and continued on her way. The shuffling of leaves behind her indicated that Terra was still following. Frustrated with Terra, Will quickly side-stepped to the other side of a tree. Hoping that Terra had disappeared, Will gave a sigh of relief, only to jump three feet into the air when she noticed Terra standing just on the opposite side of her.

"Why're you following me?" she finally asked, backing away from the girl. Terra proceeded to explain that she too was asked to meet Ciel in Witchwood, after that everything else blurred together. In that time, Will looked the girl over, she was a hero as well, skilled with the bow. Her clothes consisted of a vest in the shape of a dress, the under layer of the vest was a long sleeve puffy shirt. Around her neck was a strange looking short scarf and shoulder guards. Her armor was light, it basically screamed archer to the fullest. "Fine, fine, alright." Anything to get her to stop talking, Will pretended to understand, then walked off to where she thought Ciel was. Terra actually kept up with her fairly well, Will had to hand it to her.

Witchwood wasn't much of an improvement from Darkwood, it was dark and there were monsters just about everywhere. Will was actually happy that she'd found Terra because whenever they encountered any monsters, she'd sit back and watch Terra kill all of them and only make battle sounds when she felt she had to, just to make it look like she was engaged in a rigorous battle as well. Will cringed whenever Terra got the appetite to eat, she'd pull out some carrot and eat it like she loved it. "Ew, Terry, how do you eat that stuff?" The crunching of the veggie was enough to make Will vomit.

"It's Terra, and this is good for you." A long orange vegetable was placed in her hand. Will laughed humorlessly, and then when Terra had turned away, Will tossed it quickly into the swamp listening to the sweet sound of the sinking carrot. The bubbling sound of the sinking made Will smile with satisfaction. It's not like Terra would notice anyways, the girl had already moved ahead of Will.

As far as conversations went, each one that Terra tried to strike up was promptly shot down by Will's bluntness and sharp answers. Ciel's location was found not too long after, so Will didn't exactly have to spend too long with the archer. "About time." The male hero was leaning against a stone wall and it didn't look like he'd been there too long.

"Why are you just standing there?" Will crossed her arms skeptically. Ciel cocked his head towards the stone face in the wall. Jutting out of the stone wall was a humongous frozen face that resembled that of a bearded old man, his face was still and his eyes were shut. Impatiently, Will knocked on the stone nose, "HELLO!" Shifting stone signaled that the demon door had awakened. In a deep stony voice it 'sprang' to life and said some useless things about figuring out its name. Its instructions involved going to four stones further in Witchwood, each stone represented a letter and hitting the stones in order would spell out the name. The three stood in a triangle formation pondering the problem until they heard a soft sound behind them. Ciel and Terra drew their weapons protectively while Will indolently turned with pure disinterest. "Hey old man, you do this, I'm tired of thinking." Will hadn't exactly been thinking at all, she was waiting for Ciel and Terra to figure out what to do. The darkness of the night shrouded him in its mysterious cloak of shadows, obscuring his face and revealing only the most cryptic outline of his form. But that was more than enough for Will to determine the identity of the stranger. Maze.

The only light emitted was being shone from the pale white moon, which conveniently was full. "Ciel, Will, I want you two to go to those stones, I'll stay here with the door." The door? Will was highly tempted to ask why, but decided against it, Maze knew better than to pair her up with anyone, but Ciel, he seemed to be the only one that Will didn't become easily irritated by or vice versa. After quirking an eyebrow at Terra who was feeling along the smooth surface of the wall, Will rolled her eyes for what had to be the seventh time today and trudged after Ciel who had already began searching for the stones. "Will…" Maze began, but stopped; he already saw the girl's aggravated state and didn't want to provoke her any more. Warning her to not do something stupid was always a vain attempt; he never knew why he tried.

"So, this archaeologist guy is probably important huh?" Ciel had his weapon out and was flashing his eyes uneasily left and right with his body in a combat crouch. A slight movement roused from the gently blowing wind put him on full alert that there might be some kind of creature behind it. Someone had too big of an imagination. In contrast, Will had her weapons sheathed, her arms were hanging down by her sides and her eyes revolved around in a distracted pattern.

"Eh, why do you say that?" she answered a good three minutes later, scratching a funny itch on the side of her head. Will never liked being out at night, neither did she like the rain, and then again there were people who did. Most of those people were fooled by haunting minstrel tales of romance and adventure.

"Well, why would he send us all out on the same mission?" By his shoulders Will could tell that the hero had relaxed mildly, but that only lasted for a few moments until a pebble fell out of place. "And then…he appeared here himself." He hesitated for a moment as if he were going to say something more, but wasn't sure. "There!" Will limply inclined her head to glance up at the four jagged stones that stood above a large stone platform. Each slab had to be at least double Ciel's height. "Check those two." He instructed moving to the left two, his boots heavily thudding on the stone display place as he went. Will exhaled and did what she was told; the faster she could do this, the faster she could get back to the guild and stretch herself out on the bed. As she hurriedly paced to the rocks, she thought about Ciel's words, it really was strange for all three of them to be on one quest, especially one as simple as this. So far, there were no monsters and no people, save that rock troll. All they had to do was find one man, ONE MAN, there weren't even a flock of hobbes protecting him or something, just a stupid demon door who uses his name as 'protection'. "H, I!" Ciel's loud voice broke the silence that Will had come to enjoy.

"Er, hi?" with a hint of annoyance and confusion, she replied slowly. Her friend shook his head and Will saw a vague shape of a letter, outlined in the rocks, heavily cloaked by the other symbols and old mold that had begun to form. "Oh." She checked the two stones she had to cover, "Uhh, S, T." Ciel had gone into a still position, his eyes were glued to the ground in serious thought. Wait a second. With Ciel apparently occupied, Will slipped past him and decided to perform a little experiment on the letter stones. Will's blade struck the stone, loud enough for the stone to comprehend, but soft enough so that Ciel could still hang about in his thoughts.

"S!" Will heard the voice of the demon door echo through the forest. Startled by how loud it was, Will turned to Ciel with the look of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. No movement signaled that he was still deliberating the name. Now for the second one. "H!" Now two down, just two more to go. "I!" Ciel blinked open his eyes, readjusting to the dim light.

"What are you…?" Looking around in confusion it hit him.

"T!" The final letter. Ciel's mouth dropped open in pure disbelief. "S-H-I-T!" came the voice again. Before Will could even utter a laugh, something struck her in the back. At first she thought it was Maze, but if it was, he had hit hard enough to draw blood. Will felt a warm liquid slide down her back and stain her robes. Either Maze needed to cut his nails, or he wasn't Maze. Ignoring the uncomfortable sticky feeling on her backside, Will swung her blade not caring even if it was the Guildmaster standing behind her, his head was coming off. Her boot squeaked on the stone platform as she spun. Finding that it wasn't the Guildmaster, Will buried one of her blades into a balverine's side. Howling, it snarled, baring its long canine teeth at the girl. Bits of damp fur and blood clung to Will's silver augmented sword as the creature leaped away still howling painfully.

"Ciel?" the hero was having problems of his own. Unlike Will, he did not have a silver augment and trying to cut down the second balverine with his powerful looking sword was as effective as trying to cut a tree down with a feather. Backing up, Ciel slipped on the edge of the stone platform, landing himself in the muddy forest floor. He was backed up against an old brown fence and could only hold up his swords in defense. Just as Will had come to her senses and decided to help, the other balverine that had left a moment ago reappeared behind Will obviously aiming to catch her off guard. If Will could smell bandits from miles away, disgusting wet dog was no different. The oversized dog, pushed itself up high on its hind legs, leaving his belly entirely exposed. Feeling its hot decaying breath on the back of her head, Will took a dangerous step back towards the mutated animal until she was basically leaning her back against its stomach and jammed the blades in a backwards motion into where the creature's stomach should've been. She twisted the blades in the balverine's gut for good measure before pulling them out with a satisfied grunt.

Wasting, no time, Will darted over to where Ciel was and, swinging wildly, slashed the balverine in the back. Ciel had managed to prevent himself from getting bitten, but the long scratch on his face might've been enough to scar. The first objective was to get it away from Ciel, so she slammed into it, the coarse, damp fur transferred its smell to Will's body. The two tumbled off the stone platform and onto the muddy ground; the balverine landing on top of her, pain was immediate and overwhelming. Firstly she was in a bad position…if the thing was alive, but it wasn't. During their little tumble through the grass, Will had managed to drive her sword clear through to the other side of the monster. The only downside was Will could no longer move, wedged between the ground and a hunk of dead wet dog. Will spit out the fur and held her breath to the best of her ability.

"You alright?" Ciel had used his strength to push the carcass off of his friend. Will nodded and Ciel walked off as if nothing had happened, hitting the rocks in the correct formation this time. 'H-I-T-S'. Ciel hadn't mastered the skill of healing quite yet, but he managed to heal any major wounds that were inflicted. The two still had scratches and bruises in appropriate places. After figuring out the name, the two walked back to where Terra and Maze stood by the Demon door watching it leisurely swing itself open.

"Well done." Terra walked up to where Will was and held out her hand in a congratulatory motion. Brushing past it, Will left the girl standing there with her hand held out to nothing until Ciel grabbed it feeling like he was obliged to. He then shot a glare at Will who had approached the open demon door.

"Will! What did you do?" Maze sighed in frustration at the two hero's injuries. Will groaned and turned to where Terra and Ciel stood still hand in hand.

"Why do you instantaneously presume that it was me?" she countered throwing her arms up dramatically. There was a short silence as the four stood in the light rain coming down from the sky. The sprinkles tapped with a metallic clink on Ciels armor and moistened everyone's hair. No doubt it was refreshing for Will and Ciel considering the amount of sweat they were covered in.

"Because it was!" Maze and Ciel declared simultaneously, causing the girl to flinch back. Two on one weren't very good odds to deal with, so Will decided to quickly change the subject in her favor.

"Can we just finish the quest?" she asked. To her relief, Maze nodded and teleported away. The blue light of the teleportation spell was still visible even through the rain which was now coming down harder. "Not what I meant…" Ciel motioned for the two to head inside, and they listened not wanting to get sick from the immense amount of rain pouring down. Terra shook her short hair which always dried easier than long hair. Will, on the other hand pulled out her ponytail mouthing the words 'ow ow ow ow ow' the whole time. Damp ponytails were not pleasant to pull out. In her hand she held a piece of string, wet and decorated with her own hair, long and short. Being a boy and wearing heavy armor, Ciel worried less about his appearance and continued further inside.

They came to a tiny circular room that was lit with a total of four torches. In the center was a large wooden contraption that appeared to be broken. Then again, most things in the room appeared to be broken. Books and papers with scribbles on them littered the cave. A few books were actually in their proper places on shelves that lined one side of the cavern wall. In the corner on the ground was a mat made out of cloth, commonly used for sleeping. Aside from that, there were a few barrels and a chest that Will was eyeing with a sly grin. "You've found me, now that's just grand, if you can find, me so can they!" Will's thoughts broke away from the chest lying under the glow of the torchlight and focused on the man who emerged from behind the contraption. At his first words, Will already didn't like him, he sounded like an ungrateful rat. The 'archaeologist' now stood before the three heroes with his arms crossed. Unable to take her eyes off the hair pulled back into a ponytail creating the widow's peak that the man possessed, Will giggled at his funny white hat. Along with that, he had a long face to match. He wore an outfit that exposed his entire chest and as he fisted his heavy brown gloved hands, he swore. "I never should've started studying those focus sites." His voice was laced with pure regret. Will's attention had been distracted by the steady dripping of water echoing through the room, but Ciel and Terra never lost interest. "But how was I supposed to know Jack was interested in them too."

"Jack of Blades?" Terra said softly and hesitantly. She obviously wasn't sure of her answer and had obviously mustered up a lot of strength just to say those three words, especially to this mouthy man.

"Yes! Jack of Blades!" he exploded taking a step forward confirming her timid question. Hastily, the archaeologist shoved his journal into Ciel's hands and looked around. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be off. It's not safe for me here anymore, thanks to you three." He pointed a single gloved finger at the two. Will's own gloved hand reached for her sword. She growled when Terra grabbed her wrist stopping her attempt at his head. Of course, she never would've actually decapitated him, but scaring him wouldn't have done them any harm. The man ran past the three and headed out into the rain.

Ciel then parted, saying something about helping Knothole Glade, leaving Terra and Will standing alone in the dimly lit cave. Not wanting to go out in the rain, Will happily jogged over to the chest and opened it, there wasn't much inside, but Will took it anyways, it might sell. Terra had concluded that maybe more research about the focus sites was in order, so she'd moseyed on over to the bookshelves with books scattered on the floor. Will noticed and scowled to herself, more of a reason to hate her, she liked reading. She watched the smaller girl grab about four books and make herself comfortable on the bed on the floor. "Focus sites…focus sites." Terra mumbled, tucking one side of her short russet hair behind her pale ear. Her shoulder bag dropped with a clunk to the floor beside her. See, for Will, it was either go out in the rain or strike up a conversation with Terra here. Strange, she ran into walls and had blurry vision, but could read better than Will.

"Er, nice bag." It was a true statement, but really, it was the best she could come up with.

"Thank you, it was my mother's." her eyes never moved from the book she was on. Flipping the page she continued to read. Will's own mother flashed into her head.

"Must have been a nice woman." Will swallowed back an emotion she refused to feel.

"She was a lunatic." Terra replied after a hint of uncertainty. "Maze saved me and brought me to the guild." She added, not wanting to really delve into her past. Will scoffed and shook her head.

"Well he's just saving everybody's life isn't he?" Will closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling the blue sparks dance around her torso and eventually swallow her entire body. When it faded, she was standing just outside the guild. The sunlight had faded and the night air made the girl shiver in her wet clothes. She looked up, there were no stars shining tonight and judging by the stillness, most apprentices were sleeping comfortably in their beds. Yawning, the girl inhaled deeply allowing the oxygen to replenish her lungs and re-energize her body.

"Enjoying the night are we?" A female voice sounded behind her, causing Will's eyes to snap back open into an alert position. The voice had a strange quality different from Terra or Whisper's. If it was another ghost, Will was going to dig a hole and punctually bury her head in it. She turned calmly trying to give the illusion that she hadn't been frightened at all. One thing was correct, the person was definitely a girl who was fairly older than Will, then again… everyone eventually outgrew her. Even so, Will didn't relax there was more to the woman than she appeared to be letting on. The woman mentioned was, in fact, blind; she had clean bandages wrapped around her eyes and wore an orange and white themed armor. Along her arms were orange tattoos that disappeared into elbow length gloves. Her shoulder length red hair swayed as she swiveled around to look at the sky. Her sightless eyes gazed on as if she was seeing the stars that Will was gazing upon.

"Theresa?" Vaguely, Will remembered Ciel telling her that he'd found his sister alive. She had been living among the bandits and her eyes had been destroyed in the raid on their home in Oakvale. Will was pretty sure of her guess, after all how often was it that you found a woman of that age with their eyes sliced out.

"And, Will." The reply was certain and more of a statement rather than a question.

"You know who I am?" Of course, Ciel could've told her all about him, but he'd also mentioned that before they could talk, they parted ways. So what was she doing here?

"Will, you're a powerful will-user, often you cause trouble, your rash decisions and actions often put others as well as your own life in danger." Will listened, her voice sounded smooth and sure like she read that line out of a book. "And you remain oblivious to the intentions of the ones you hold dear in your heart."

"Egh, I think you've got the right person." Referring to the first part, she was pretty much spot on. Not wanting chat much longer, Will began to walk away. Honestly, Ciel's sister just plain irked her for no apparent reason. She seemed like one of those people who could see right through you in a conversation, and considering the amount of times Will lied in a friendly exchange, that wasn't good.. It took some time for her to process Theresa's last statement, but when she did, Will turned her attention back to the blind Seeress. "I don't think you know me that well, because there's no one 'dear' in my heart." She snorted. Theresa didn't bother to explain, nor move her gaze from the stars, but instead said something else more confusing.

"You play a greater part in this than you know." Will didn't even turn around this time; she continued all the way to her room and shut out those last couple words from her thoughts.

_Never knowing anything more_

_Than your empty life._

Thanks for reading!


	9. So happy together

Can't say much, but if you did notice I did add another OC, Terra. Yes, hurhur. She's from my friends imagination, not mine. She, for some reason likes my fanfiction, so I added her character as an OC. Anyways! Thanks for reading my story, to the very few of you that do, I'm glad, it keeps me well motivated. You can talk to me...I don't bite...not in places that will show. :{D

Okay, have fun reading.

**CHAPTER NINE**

_And how can they say I never change_

_They're the ones that stay the same._

If Will had the choice, she would spend the rest of her unnaturally long life in bed just dreaming. Her dreams were as bizarre as they got. Often, she went to strange lands, soared, and met people she never even knew existed. No matter how many times she was run through with a sword or shot with an arrow, she would not feel it. Whatever happened was her own doing and she could control it in any way that she wished. Then there were those dreamless nights or ones that ended in nightmares or those vague ones that Will never remembered when she awoke.

There she was in that cabinet again, the one she'd hidden in many years ago. Will knew this dream all too well for it replayed in her head now and again. "I can fix it." She told herself and pushed with all of her might, with a force that would break the door off its hinges. Despite that, the door remained intact and her efforts were put to shame. Before long, Will began throwing her entire body at the door screaming wildly and pounding mercilessly. After what felt like forever, Will looked through the gap between the doors, bracing herself for the horrendous sight that plagued her memory for so long. The scene was different, it wasn't her mother on the floor, it was someone else. Everything blurred together at that moment, the faces and the old house itself meshed together like a horribly made cake. "Wait." She tried weakly. The figure reached an arm towards where she was, then faded into thin air.

Will awoke to a sudden chill jumping onto her body. Like the feeling of someone pulling the covers off her already cold body. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" Moaning, the girl blindly searched for the scratchy, but comfortable, blanket that had been pulled clear out of her reach. "Get up." Will quickly grew used to the cold and hugged her pillow for its little amount of warmth. Again the girl began to slip in and out of another dream until she heard a sigh and a creak, not of someone sitting on the bed, but more like someone grabbing it. Blinding pain and a cold floor meant that Maze had guiltlessly flipped the mattress over, landing the girl on cold hard floor.

"Don't you respect my privacy… at all?" Will shoved the mattress off her body angrily, suddenly very awake.

"You don't seem to respect mine, so no." he held up a quest card at the fuming girl. "It's urgent." With that, he left to go wait for Will.

"Oh and you're not going to clean this up?" the silence that followed meant 'no'. The blanket that had been pulled halfway across the room lay in a crumpled heap. The contents that were on top of the mattress were now spilled on the floor. Stepping over scattered pillows and the balled up mattress cover, the teen proceeded to clean up. 'Clean up', in her world, meant throw everything onto the bed frame and go. As usual, she met Maze right outside the Guild and gave him an inquiring look, "Well, what is this 'urgent' quest you're talking about?" Still showing displeasure from being woken up unpleasantly, Will maintained an air of annoyance in her voice.

"You'll find out." Will rolled her eyes at his insistence upon preserving the element of mystery. Impatiently, she snatched the card and looked at it. Another winner, it was a perfect combination of vague and mysterious with hints of anonymity, just the way Maze liked it. Scanning the card, she read it silently to herself. Apparently, there was a group of people going around terrorizing certain places of Albion, leaving a note of where they would strike next. According to the card they hadn't done anything major yet, but it was a good idea to keep them in check. Their last note said that Barrow fields was their next target.

"Confident, aren't they?" Will began to teleport herself to Barrow Fields. Nodding, Maze followed suit, the two of them disappearing in a whirlwind of blue. Will now had a habit of closing her eyes whenever she teleported, possibly to get rid of the sick feeling that came with each teleportation. You think she'd get used to it by now. Slowly, she opened her eyes to a field of grass, tall and swaying in tune to the command of the breeze. The cool air swept the thin green-yellow blades left and right. Will easily disturbed this pattern by stepping through them crushing a few blades that got in her way. Traders were muttering to each other, stopping when they saw Will and Maze approach their circle of tents. One man hurriedly went to the two obviously glad to see them.

"You're here!" hastily, he held out a note to them, but all it stated was 'Barrow Fields'.

"Really, you people are scared of paper?" Will waved it about in the man's face, which was dominated by a moustache that stretched beyond the boundaries of his face. "I could've written this!" With one arm, Maze pushed Will's still waving arm down by her side. Three traders appeared behind the man.

"N-No." the trader stammered nervously, biting his lower lip. At that point, the note was taken from Will's hand and scrutinized by Maze. "Look at the signature." On her tiptoes, Will tried to take a little peek at the signature that she'd failed to look at the first time. Maze froze. The action only provoked more jumping on Will's part. Finally, Will easily returned the note back to her hand and read the signature.

"The Court?" the name meant absolutely nothing to the girl's ears. Without delay, the traders nodded urgently. "What is 'The Court'?" In disbelief, they looked at each other, then at her, then at Maze who had remained in the same position since he'd read what little words were on the note. His blue eyes were fixated intently on the ground and his face was more serious than it had ever been.

"Do you ever pay attention to-…." He was even ashamed with himself for asking such a rhetorical question. "The Court." He began. A sound, caused by an explosion, rocked the entire field, causing some of the traders to fall back into each other. Quickly, Will grabbed a falling trader, not to help him, but to steady herself. The end result was Will standing and a trader on the floor.

"Whew, that was close." Will rebalanced herself and concentrated her attention in the direction of the explosion. Someone had set off an explosive barrel, many of them by the sound of it, and… on purpose. "Maze?" Upon turning, smoke flooded her vision and the smell of fire and ash filled her nostrils, numbing her senses for a moment. An involuntary cough escaped her dry lips. She'd inhaled way too much ash than she could ever handle. Every muscle, tendon, and fiber of Will's being clenched tightly. She shut her eyes trying to block out the ash, but it was too late, enough had seeped its way through to hinder her vision. The normalcy of her breathing changed dramatically when it became inexplicably hot. One last attempt was in order. Madly, the girl threw her arms out trying to grab onto something, anything that would save her. Someone reached back, clasping their hands around her arm and yanking her in a direction that was hopefully safety. Before too much time had passed, Will felt the breath return to her body and her image begin to clear up. The grasp on her arm was gone and the girl was coughing again to rid her throat of the scratchy feeling.

Three roaring blood-thirsty laughs rose over the sound of the fire and screaming people. Still squinting, Will looked up to find three people standing on a platform. All of them wore cloaks that covered their entire body save their face which was covered by a mask. Each mask was decorated differently and each of them looked expensive. In Will's head, she was only thinking about how much money she could make off them. Maze's eyes focused on the one standing the furthest back; the person wore a bright red cloak and a pure white mask. "That's not possible." He whispered, entirely distracted. Somehow he had eased a protective shoulder in front of the younger hero.

"We are the court and soon you will all bow down before us!" The one in the middle had a feminine voice as opposed to the other two which were male.

"Really? How… original?" Will frowned at the cheesiness of the whole thing as she drew her weapons. Her three word comment had drawn the attention of all three of them. Laughing once more, the final one summoned. Left and right Hobbes began to appear making their rat-like gurgling noises and baring their teeth that had been sharpened down to points. There were so many that Will actually felt a light pang of fear hit her. "Gah, these things are parasitic in reproduction aren't they?" The waist high, bald creatures advanced on the two. Will lashed out with her sword only to be blocked by one of them. She fought with that one with one sword, while blocking two more behind her with the other. Seeing an opening, she took it and jammed the sword into the Hobbe's abdomen killing it. Holding her swords in an X shape, she kicked one of them away to buy herself time. With force push, she eliminated three of them, pushing away clods of dirt and burnt grass in the process. One of the disgusting red skinned Hobbes had hobbled over to where Maze was, and lifted its axe. Holding out her hand, Will felt power surge through her and transfer into a powerful bolt of lightning that crashed into the monster turning it into a mutilated ball of ash and smoke. "Hey! Do something!" Will swept her swords in a full circle catching four Hobbes with their guard down.

In spite of Will's efforts, Maze didn't move, he wanted to; he heard Will's yells of battle and the sound of her blades against Hobbe flesh. He blinked and looked up just in time to see the imposters who called themselves 'The Court' disappear and Will block one Hobbe and slice another. Her weapons clashed noisily against the enemies. As incredibly powerful as Will was, Maze knew that she was nowhere near ready to face Hobbes, but for some reason he couldn't move and there being so many of them wouldn't help either. Without warning, the ground was before his eyes, someone had knocked him down and was now on top of his back. Maze finally came to his senses and tried to push the thing off, but there was more than one. They surrounded him and nearly crushed him like a wave of white. He cursed, if he had come to his senses a moment earlier, this wouldn't be happening. Suddenly, his world went black.

That was it, for every five she knocked down; seven more appeared in its place. This was heading nowhere fast. Her last force push, that drained her will-power, was enough to get rid of the seven, but four more spawned where the seven once were. What surprised her was that one of them leaped into the air. Startled, she held up her swords in a weak block. She was able to hold the block, but her body couldn't take it; she fell onto the floor with a thump. Her hair whipped when she turned her head away from the creature now settled on top of her weapons on her chest. Three more, seeing victory, wobbled over to hold her down; they had no intention of killing her. With her head turned to the side, Will noticed Maze in a similar position, only he was unconscious. What had him so paralyzed in the first place? She may not ever know, he never did like admitting those things. Seeing the older hero, Will struggled harder, successfully kicking two off, only to be held down by four more. Having a hard head did have some perks; she didn't give up, kicking the four off once more. It was then Will realized that she had been disarmed and ash was beginning to fill her eyes again. No, it wasn't ash, but it was blacking out the Hobbes that were staring down at her.

When Will finally forced her eyes open, she groaned softly at the throbbing pain on the left side of her head. The stupid dwarf-things had knocked her out. The room that she was in was completely dark and by the smell of it, Will deduced that it was a wine cellar. Will sat up and immediately regretted it, pain shot through her entire body along with the cracking of every bone in her back. "Ow." She'd squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them to try adjusting them to the dark. "What is this? The great Hero Maze can't handle a few thousand Hobbes?" she kicked him lightly in the side to wake him up, noticing that he was there next to her as out cold as she had been a moment ago. As he stirred, Will tried to stand only to be pulled right back down by a chain around her wrist. "What the…" Ignoring the ache coursing through her lower area, Will held up her left arm to a cuff wrapped tightly around her wrist like a large bracelet. The first thought that came into her head was that she was being held hostage, until she decided to find out where the chain attached to the bracelet led. Her eyes widened in horror when she found that the end of the chain led to a similar clamp that was fastened around Maze's wrist. "Maze…" he grunted in response. "We have a problem."

"Hm?" Will felt him sit up in the dark next to her. Dramatically, she waved her left arm around, also waving the chain and Maze's arm in the process. The chain clanged noisily and Maze's only comment was "Oh dear."

"Can you at least look worried?" hopelessly, she tried to mirror his composure. She could feel her breathing growing heavier with each passing second, being stuck to Maze for the rest of her life seemed like the worst way to go for the poor child. Wait, these were silly little chains, Will ate chains for breakfast, second breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea elevensies, lunch, snack,…well you get the idea. Struggling, Maze stood, pulling Will up involuntarily with him. Will then pulled out the dagger, which she kept hidden in her boot, as fast as possible; it was about the length of her forearm. Amazing that it hadn't sliced through to her leg yet. "On three." The dagger was lifted high above her head, directly above the center connecter of the chain. "One…" the chain clinked as the weapon was stolen from the girl's hand by Maze. "Hey! I'm trying to free us." Without a word, he lifted it in the same manner that she did. "How come I can't do it?"

"Because one of us would lose some body parts." Will hushed herself realizing that his statement was unarguable. But who was to say that Maze wouldn't cut off her arm? A deafening clang rang through the entire cellar reflecting just how badly Maze wanted the links off and just how futile the attack was. The two didn't speak; Will nodded to acknowledge another try. He complied, slicing the metal through the air in one clean arc aimed for the center of the chain. Will tensed, she hated loud noises and she felt another coming on fast. The same loud clang resounded, but this one followed with a sharp crack. Will's joy was short-lived when she glanced down to see that her dagger had shattered to pieces. She only squeaked in stunned horror at her favorite little shattered dagger and the horrifying chain still unscratched.

If there was a place that Will would ever refuse to go to, it would have to be the library. Echoing through the Guild was the sound of a young girl's voice and the deep booming sound of Maze's own voice. The two were just at the entrance of the library. One small, pale hand was clinging desperately to the stone arch that stood between her and that stupid monument to dead recluse people; the library. "Do you want to get out of these chains…or not?" His shaky breaths displayed how much effort he had put into trying to pull her in and just how close he was to cracking. He shot his rhetorical question at the pathetic 'hero' hugging the stone arch like it was her last chance for survival. Will had actually been banned from the library a couple years ago for accidentally burning a book that she'd been assigned to do a report on, then knocking over half of the bookshelves. Maze still remembered all of the lip he received from the library attendant that day. "Well, I, for one, will not be stuck to the one thorn in my life forever!" as the words were said; he angrily marched towards the girl and not-so-gently wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Put me down, you oaf!" once Maze had her nicely tucked under his arm like a pile of logs, he ran his free hand through his short white hair, traces of sweat could be detected on his forehead by the tips of his fingers.

"All these years, and you still haven't learned that respect yet, have you, hm?" Will contemplated biting him; she was in the perfect position, just to sink her pearly whites into the single blue mark slithering across his ungloved finger. Perfect, he was looking through a section of books. Before her intricate plan could be put into action, she was plopped down into a wooden chair that creaked fairly loudly under her weight. Her face immediately mangled into a disgusted-slash-horrified face. All around her were books: paper bounded by stronger paper, filled with little black squiggles that are nothing but a headache. To her left were long, stained glass windows of every different rainbow color. To her right were apprentices examining books bigger than them and that revolting sound of someone rustling through pages. Will craned her head to take a short glance behind her; all of the tall bookshelves had been nailed to the ground. This actually made her smirk through her pained expression. Turning back around, her eyes widened in disgust upon seeing the librarian standing there with her lips curled up in a half snarl.

"Eyuw." Will made no effort to hold back her feelings for the hag. The old woman's expression suddenly changed as it landed on Maze; solemn respect and pure relief was basically what it was. She nodded almost sympathetically and went away to attend to other business. Making no notion to help, Will propped up her head with one of her hands and turned away not even wanting to look at the enormous books that the old Hero had compiled. It was going to a long night.

"How long do we have to be here?" Again, the girl made absolutely no effort to lower the volume in her voice, obviously not caring that people were glaring at her and telling her to hush. The library was amazingly full for most of the day, but slowly and silently died down. The only light that was being given off was now by the single light dangling over the table that Maze and Will sat at. Hell, even the librarian had left. A few apprentices cramming for their lessons were still in the room, but at most, there were three. No one dared disturb the silence, each tiny sound that was made sounded like the boom of a canon. Maze was now perusing a large blue book; he turned each page with the hand that was connected to Will. The girl fully believed that he was doing this intentionally; just for the pleasure of seeing her hand, that was supporting her head, jerk out from under her.

"This would go a lot faster if you helped." Was Maze's retort to Will's question.

"I'd rather not."

"Hm" It was an expected reply, but didn't hurt too much to try.

Page after page, Maze searched, he knew that will-power had been used on these chains, he just didn't remember why. It was embarrassing to admit really, the only thing he did recall was that it was a simple spell and yet, he was here with the last person in Albion he wanted to be with, going through volumes of paper. The intricate black scribbles on the paper began to jumble and spin in front of Maze's icy blue eyes, maybe this was how Will felt. He blinked and rubbed them several times, eyeing Will out of his peripheral vision. Just from her lack of movement and steady breathing, he realized that the young hero was asleep. That lazy girl. Maze thought on his memories while trying to push the still-fresh memories of the eerie problems happening in Albion. He could defend himself if needed. The man glanced back at his babysitting project, noticing that she was not entirely calm in her sleep. Will was talking again. Maze decided that he didn't want to barge in on her thoughts. As long as she was quiet, it was fine. Running three dark fingers over his short white beard, Maze focused on the books, his thoughts still pestering him.

The only other sound audible in the library was a soft click of someone's boots on the floor. Considering that he and Will were the only two sitting there, Maze looked up, suddenly on alert. The Hero let out a short breath as he looked up to see the girl from before named Terra. "Good Morning." He greeted warmly, in his comforting voice, with a slight accent, at the short haired girl who held books much too large for her petite stature. Terra adjusted the books in her little arms and tilted her head to peer at the two with her glassy eyes.

"You two are very…close, aren't you?" Maze cringed as the words left her mouth in those high pitched, but not piercing, tone of voice that Terra had. The chains clinked as Maze held them up wordlessly. What followed was a short gasp from Terra, then an amused giggle that rose gently and politely from her throat. After placing a hand over her mouth, she coughed to clear her throat and placed a large blue book on the dusty brown table. Maze did nothing; he merely stared at the look with his typical stoic expression. She could feel his eyes raking over her, boring meticulously into every contour of her body with an intense scrutiny that made her flesh burn. To her brief astonishment, she found that it was not an unpleasant sensation, and despite the illusion of composure she was currently attempting to maintain, she felt her heartbeat quicken and unconsciously found herself drawing in a sharp breath of surprise as he took the book and opened it. There was something unnervingly different about this man from any other she had ever encountered. She couldn't quite place just what, exactly, that difference might be, but it could have been the fact that she both feared and respected the old will-user.

"Thank you, Terra." Maze suddenly looked up and smiled once more at her. Nodding quickly, she walked away. The perks of being outwardly shy, it was normal to walk away at random times without so much as a goodbye. Without a moment's hesitation, Maze reached over and placed an enormous hand on Will's shoulder. As early as it was in the morning, he didn't want to be attached to Will forever, but this early in the morning wasn't exactly a time when Will was very willing to cooperate.

A devilish smile curved up the corner of Will's mouth. She was actually fine with being awake especially if it meant getting rid of the metal bracelet around her wrist. "How was your night?" she purred, teasingly knowing he probably didn't get an ounce of sleep. Then, every movement to annoy him to no ends; she stretched, catlike, upon the brown table, letting out a dramatic yawn that echoed through the empty library.

"Wonderful." He replied dryly, not removing his eyes from the book in front of him. Still cracking her limbs, Will leaned over and propped her head up with her arm on the table.

"So? Did you find anything?" The relaxed and calm tone in her voice slightly vexed Maze as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. For many long moments he remained silent, almost as if he were contemplating telling her or not. "Maze?" she tried again, strain now apparent in her voice. What if there was no way to get the chains off? What if they were stuck like this forever. The natural scarlet disappeared from Will's skin and was replaced with a pasty pale color.

Being more than pleased with the paling of Will's face, the Hero hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, "Well now…" He arched an eyebrow and wrinkled his face delaying the answer just a couple instants more, possibly to torment the girl. At least, that's what she thought his notion was anyways. In response to her thoughts, he coughed and started once more, "Back in a time before neither of us was born."

"Wow you're old." With obvious irritation in his eyes, Maze halted his reading once more. Will shut her trap and twiddled her fingers silently, keeping quiet to the best of her ability.

"These chains were used to bind those arranged to be…" he paused again, "Married." He choked out the final dreaded word like a rotten chunk of food. An incredibly uncomfortable silence descended over the two, making two minutes seem like two million years. Never really was there a silence when Maze and Will were involved; the two were constantly yelling at each other one way or another. So, this was actually a very rare and never seen thing.

Nothing, I repeat, nothing in all of Albion could have prepared poor Maze for the excruciating events that occurred a moment later. First, the man was blown back by the near volcanic eruption produced from the angered teen only arms reach away from him. With one eye shut, he tried to calm her down, but her spazz moment was far from over. The single piercing sound that she made entered Maze's ears like a pointed, sharp, long needle that jabbed into his brain and rattled it around. "What the hell is this madness?" Will flailed her arms knocking down books and sliding chairs back from the table noisily. It was amazing that the entire Guild didn't wake up and come to observe the chaos. Also, the echoing guild walls didn't help out the white-haired will-user either. "This is SO wrong on SO MANY levels!" The chains clinked and clanked when they came in contact with a hard surface. With a wild eyed look on her face, that Maze had only seen when she was on a killing frenzy, Will leaped for him, grabbing his clothes and fiercely pulling him down to her eye level, "DO SOMETHING!" Coming to his senses, Maze firmly grabbed her arm, knowing that she, physically, was no match for his strength. She huffed a few more times and then finally came to a standstill. That had to be the most exercise she'd had in a long time.

Seeing what had just unfolded, Maze remained hesitant to speak again. Granted, he was going to do something, but it would be delayed for at least one or two days…perchance more. His grasp on her arm didn't loosen as he contemplated telling her, after experiencing the worst ten minutes of his long life. Keeping his hold on her, he proceeded to explain their predicament. Her reaction was different than he thought; Will's eyes fell to her feet and stayed there. He noticed the light blue eyes twitch a couple times, but they settled back. Finally, he let go and began to lead her away from the library. Will, at first, followed silently, almost like an empty shell that had the life taken out of it, but the second they stepped outside, Maze turned right and Will turned left. The hold of the chains, Will being small and weaker, pulled her back onto the floor. "What do you think you're doing?" she inquired, the regular edge back in the quality of her voice.

"Going to my tower, there's things-…" Maze replied quickly, only to be cut off by Will hoisting herself up using Maze's chain.

"Mm, I'm hungry, so no." she jerked the chain in the direction she wanted to go; the dining hall. It worked, for a moment anyways, until she was pulled back by the unmoving statue named Maze.

"Will, it can wait."

"Nuh-uh."

This was going to be a long day.

The only way Maze was able to get Will up to the study was because he had stored some meat up in the room somewhere. At least she was cooperating now. The two's footsteps echoed down the Guild hallways, side by side they walked, their cloaks being flapped around by the wind along with their hair. "Maze?" Will called after she was finished muttering defeat.

"Hm?" he responded absentmindedly.

"Who are…'The Court?" Though it might have been strange to be questioning about their foes much after they had faced them, Will knew absolutely nothing about their origins.

"Do you ever pay attention to what I say?" It was a useless question that both of them knew the answer to, but that seemed to be one of his favorite questions. It seemed like he had enjoyment in emphasizing that she never paid attention. A sigh came from his dark lips as he ran a finger over his blue-lined brow. "The Court is the evil order of extreme power that rules, and is said to have existed in 'The Void' before man existed on Albion. The Court consists of the Queen of Blades, the Knight of Blades, and Jack of Blades. When they came to Albion from The Void, they demanded that people bow to them. When the citizens refused, The Court decided to all but destroy the land." He took a quick glimpse at her to see if she was still listening, too much at once and she'd doze off. Will remembered the three that stood on the platform, one was a woman and the other two were men, they had set fire to Barrow Fields. Few people had been killed, but almost everyone was injured in some way.

"I think I remember this." Will tried to dig in the files of her brain.

"No you don't." came with blunt reply.

"I know." She confessed sheepishly, quickening her pace. Will pulled her green cloak hood over her head, obstructing her face from view. "Go on."

"When they were refused, they "burned Albion until the earth turned black and the sky was thick with smoke". When the people refused a second time, they lifted the sea into the sky and flooded the world. The third time they demanded worship they said they would bring peace, but again the people refused, so the court twisted their minds until they went insane. Finally, the inhabitants of Albion bowed to the court." There was silence for a moment, then he spoke again about them being destroyed later by some man, blah blah blah. Will had stopped listening then and the rest came out as incoherent gibberish.

"So who are they? The ones that burned Barrow Fields?" She had deduced that they were following the pattern of the original court and next they were going to 'lift the sea into the sky and flood the world'.

"Imposters." By now they were ascending the winding steps to Maze's study.

"You can say that again, they can't even 'burn Albion until the earth turns black and sky gets thick with smoke' properly." Will was slightly behind Maze when she walked, her arm slightly held out forward to keep from feeling pulled by the chain cuff. She refrained from making inquiries about why Maze was so frozen during their battle against the hobbes. Normally, he would've been able to wipe them out with a mere swipe of his hand, but this time he didn't even move and practically allowed himself to be captured and chained to Will. Something or someone had obviously struck him emotionally enough to a point where he didn't even want to defend himself. Was he…afraid? Will allowed herself to assume that this was wholly his fault, not hers.

Irritated, Will pushed away the red velvet curtains that were blowing their way into her face, and picked gently at the piece of meat that she had been given. Her curiosity gave way and her jaw bone slowly unhinged to leak out the mass amount of questions troubling her, but was cut short by an instructor who had entered the room holding a boy roughly by the collar. With the same harshness, the boy in apprentice clothing was shoved closer to Maze. Will had easily defocused from the conversation and fixed her eyes on the fireplace, there was no fire burning, but the smell of scorched firewood was still hinted. The apprentice before them had apparently attacked a fellow guildmember and looked annoying smug about it. When the instructor tilted his head with his eyes clearly on the chain linking Will and Maze's wrists, Will responded with a glare that could've set Hook Coast ablaze. Immediately, he left leaving the still simpering apprentice in front of Maze.

Will watched, mildly interested and mostly annoyed when the boy spoke, degrading the guild itself and not allowing Maze to get a word in. Maze himself had taken a small step forward, but placed three fingers to his face and pressed down on the blue will-power marks running along his forehead, shutting his eyes, much like the way he did whenever Will decided to be…well, herself. He was tired from staying up all night before and better yet; he was chained to Will with no inkling as to when the next attack from 'The Court' would be. By his face, Will would decipher that he was going to explode in a moment. Though, that didn't happen, she beat him to the punch.

"HEY! Back off!" The boy's mouth snapped shut, he was acquainted with the young hero's tactics, but he never expected her to do something like this. "It's not enough that he has to save people's asses, run the damn guild, and deal with an insufferable loudmouth attached to him," she held up her chains for visual aid. "Now he has to deal with some hormone-crazed kid who would be dead, like that, when thrown into a pit of bandits?" The 'hormone-crazed' kid took an angry step forward and was about ready to bite her head off, "No!" Will met him and grabbed the front of his hood firmly, "Save your breath, you need it to scare women." A low growl rumbled in the back of her throat. The apprentice, being held by the front of his hood, noticed his intake of breath becoming harder and rather difficult. He felt her hot breath on his face like a hungry balverine and felt a warm sensation on his hands as well. "Get out." If Maze hadn't been restraining her on the other side of the chain, his head would've been hers.

Maze was actually using application to pull the girl back from giving the boy a hole in his neck. He didn't even see the boy run out, but he did hear the thud at the bottom of the stairs. All that was in his view was her back and all he could feel was a growing throbbing pain on his wrist from the girl's strength. From the decreased pull on his wrist, he could almost see the fumes drift away from her head and dissipate into the air. The piece of meat sitting on the table near the stain glass window was picked at once more by the girl. In less than a second, she completely stuffed her mouth to a point where her cheeks puffed out. Unable to go anywhere else, Maze sat down next to her, looking at her with a knowing smile on his face.

"Not a word." She forced through the shredded mounds of meat in her mouth.

_Craving something worth living for_

_Never knowing anything more_

_Than your empty life_

Thank you so much for reading :{D


	10. Imposters of The Court

**WittyShenanigans here, thanks again for the support (people who subscribed, reviewed and such.). Anyways! It is summer, yay, so I have about three more chapters already written, but I think I'll push them out slowly. My original quests are so awkward aren't they?**

**Okay, so if you didn't read the chapter before this, you probably should or else you just…won't get it. If you didn't even read from the beginning, then I'll promptly throw a blanket over my head and bawl my eyes out. Just kidding, but seriously, you have to have read the chapter before this. Maze and Will got handcuffed together, HURHUR. Want to know how? Read the chapter before this…please. **

** Itoe Fujiwara: Thanks, my characters usually aren't that epic, but that made me feel a ton better about Will.  
**

** voltagelisa: Hurhur, It's a weird twist, half of my ideas come from me standing in the shower for three hours until I get all pruned up, and my parents scream at me.**

** Oliverain: YOU! Thank you for reading this far, you've been there since chapter one. So, it feels worth it when I'm typing this at 2 a.m.**

** Esuerc Marcellus Voltimand****: Yeah, I never really liked Theresa either. Her voice sounds all ditzy-ish. Also, post up your story D I like reading about Gale, I've never played the second game though unfortunately.**

** Asuka Layne: D'aaw, I tried to make the two literary foils, somewhat. **

** Drownwithme: True, I realize not many people like Maze, but I can see some people still do. :{D**

** Urukispet: THANKS FINA! For trying to read something out of your thing-a-ma-jigger. See you later. **

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter 10**

_They can't break me_

_As long as I **know** who I am._

Life wasn't that bad with a boring old man attached to your wrist. Who the hell was she kidding; Will would've committed suicide by now if it weren't for the fact that Maze kept stopping her. The worst part was trying to sleep at night. If there was one thing that Will learned from being stuck to the guy, he rarely ever slept; he spent endless nights just sitting there researching or just brooding about something. In fact, Will almost felt uncomfortable sleeping with him awake and right there next to her, waking her every couple seconds. Often she would pretend she was asleep and watch him think, simply wondering what he was in such deep thought about. Whatever it was, it must have troubled him greatly because, now and again, he looked as if he were in pain thinking about it.

A fire crackled gently, almost rhythmically, in Maze's study. The yellow and orange light cast a shadow on the bright red rug that covered half of the room. By the window, Maze sat in deep thought as usual. Sitting up from his leaned over position; he fell back against the stone wall and watched the fire's hands grab and sweep around its prison, yearning to be released. The rage of the fire flickered into his own eyes as he pulled them away to look at Will. She was curled up like a child next to him, tired from their constant yelling; it had gotten worse since their last mission exactly four weeks ago that had gotten them attached, literally, at the wrist. Admittedly, he did understand her a bit more than before. Involuntarily, he reached his hand towards her, only to hover it over her dark hair for a moment, then, realizing himself, he withdrew it, wondering if the child was awake or not. Another gentle sigh escaped his lips as he thought of the impending doom that Albion faced. Something that was much greater than the situation that they were in now. It was that something that had frozen him to a point where he couldn't even fight off inferior Hobbes in their battle before. He silently cursed himself for losing concentration during a mission; the very thing that he always scolded Will for had become his own mistake. He was exceptionally glad that the girl hadn't brought up that subject for debate.

A pillow was knocked off from the perch when Will curled into a tighter ball. Maze looked on, she was never a peaceful sleeper and it wouldn't be the first time he had to shake her awake from a nightmare. From their time together in the past four weeks, Will had been having incessant nightmares, causing her to thrash and sometimes scream in her slumber. Whenever he shook her awake, she would fall straight back asleep claiming that she never did such things in her siestas. From that point on, he just dropped it figuring that it was a memory that was better left forgotten or lost. Now, the girl's breathing had grown heavier and more rapid, much like a start of another one of her episodes. Her hand clenched into a tight ball, her knuckles turned white and her hand shook from the tightness. Will curled tighter and visibly shivered, as if there was snow all around them. "Mmm." Came her unconscious sound of protest.

"Shhh." Maze reached his hand that wasn't chained to her to rest on her shoulder. What the hell, it wasn't like she was going to remember this when she woke up anyways. Like a father comforting a child, he used two of his dark fingers and brushed hair away from her eyes. A few strands rested on his blue will-power lines winding around his index finger. Maze's ice blue eyes softened for a moment as he watched her, amazingly, calm down and slip back into a silent slumber. A disobedient strand of white hair fell into his eyes, but was completely ignored. His gloved hand didn't move from Will's face while he watched her breathing go back to normal and her hand loosen. When she was back to normal again, he pulled his fingers lightly touching the surface of her cheek.

"Excuse me, Maze?" Startled, Maze jerked his hand away from Will and turned, with a hint of anger, to lay eyes upon the intruder. A man stood there with indications of surprise and disbelief on his face. The man wore a bright chainmail suit with no helmet; it was a mystery as to how he made it up all of the steps without Maze hearing, in all of that heavy armor. In his hand were a quest card and a note attached to it.

"Ah, Ciel." Maze took a quick glance from him, then to Will. The hero of Oakvale was still staring with a wide eyed look at the tender moment he had witnessed a moment ago. To redeem himself, Maze pulled hard with his chained arm causing a thud on the floor and a soft 'ow' to come from Will's body. After a second of motionlessness on the hard ground, Will got up, tugged on her will-user's outfit and got ready to make a deadly leap for Maze's exposed throat. Before she could, Maze pointed at the Hero in their presence and the items in his gloved hands. Her eyes lit up and Maze braced himself for the immense power of her pull to get to the quest card and paper.

"CIEL!" he handed her the quest card and paper with a small chuckle from his lips. Furrowing her brow, Will studied him, he had some light scars on his unprotected face, but there wasn't a single white strand to be detected on his unnaturally soft hair. Their eyes met and the two stood for a long moment just staring. He had definitely grown a lot in their years together. Will hadn't quite changed in years, she barely looked like a legit seventeen year old and tried to pass herself, unsuccessfully, off as eighteen, but really, she looked sixteen. It was an almost frustrating thing for her that she honestly never minded until, for some reason, she looked at Ciel. He, on the other hand was already a solid thirty years old, was almost as revered as Maze, and constantly had girls, and guys, fawning all over him. Maze noticed a certain longing in Will's eyes and cleared his throat. The girl turned away, studying the quest card like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Ciel flinched and turned away as well. "Let's go Maze." She yanked the chain trying to pull him along, but was stopped, not by Maze, but by Ciel. He had grabbed her forearm and held on tightly.

The touch sent shock waves through her body, forcing her hair to stand at attention. "Will?" the will-user turned her head slightly back. "Be careful." He said softly, letting go of her arm. Not missing a beat, she walked off without as much as a goodbye or thank you.

Will read the note over and over like an acceptance letter to the arena. Never would she be going to that place, too much to keep track of, but if she were any other hero, she would be leaping for joy by now. Maze and Will appeared in Oakvale. "Maze, what was that second part of the story?" she asked him as he looked around with caution. A sound answered her question before the man on the other end of the chain could. Oakvale shook with a vigor that Will had never seen before. Almost falling, Maze held her up with the chain, not wanting to fall with her. "Oh…my…" When Maze finally steadied himself, he whipped around to look in the direction that Will was gawking. His eyes widened to the same size as hers when he saw the dark wall of water rising from the sea just begging to throw itself upon the small town of Oakvale.

Blue eyes wide, Will felt her body shrink against the raging sea, dripping with greenish white foam. "They lifted the sea into the sky and flooded the world." Maze replied with an unusual calm in his voice, despite the sea that was about to swallow them whole. Then it came, the sounds of screeching women and men running desperately for their lives, some were holding the hands of puling children and others were trying to haul their most precious belongings from their house. Will had craned her neck so far back to look at the sky, it hurt. Angrily, she drew her swords and charged forward at the three figures that were standing at the very foot of the tsunami. Like before, Hobbes were summoned and the ugly creatures hobbled their way towards Will and Maze. The monsters surrounded them and, without thinking, Will leaped forward, her hand hot with a spell. Her heroic leap was cut short by Maze's weight. With an oomf, Will hit the floor face first, dousing the flame growing on her hand.

"Hey!" Maze, pulled her up and had his weapon drawn as well. Three Hobbes neared and Maze simply struck them down with a swipe of his long blade. In his triumph, he stumbled forward as Will stumbled back into him. Visibly, the two were becoming aggravated by each other, one becoming an obstacle to another, it was damn near impossible to do anything being connected at the wrist. Will's clothes were covered in dirt from the immense amount of times that she had fallen. To add to that, they were getting nowhere with these Hobbes. When the white ones were taken care of, larger and more powerful ones appeared in their place. These were red-skinned and had armor covering their bodies. Squealing like little pigs, they attacked mercilessly. Decidedly, Will cast the spell again, willing heat into her palm until it grew into a bright angry flame that shot forward knocking out seven at once. Her vision suddenly became worse, and the girl began to wonder if it was nighttime or not. With a gasp, she looked up, seeing the wall growing and growing, it had already obstructed the sun and it wouldn't be long before the wave was released.

"Will!" Maze yelled.

"I know, I see it!" she retorted.

"No!" he replied, "Jump!" she obeyed. Using the strength in his arms, Maze withdrew his weapon from a dead Hobbe and swung Will around in a full circle. She finally caught on to what he was trying to do and stiffened her body, holding both of her weapons out and casting lightning. The attack spell destroyed anything and everything that it could touch within a 30 ft radius, including trees and barrels. Will landed swiftly on her feet as over twenty Hobbes dropped dead and twitching and screeching. The two nodded knowingly at each other and ran through the path of dead Hobbes to the foot of the tidal wave.

"Maze! We've got to get rid of these chains!" Actually, it seemed like they were getting the hang of working together, but would they ever come off?

"We must eliminate the caster." Will heard the dying sound of a Hobbe when Maze cast lightning at it, then sliced it in two when it was distracted by the lightning. Will looked back at the two sizzling heaps on the ground that used to be Hobbes and chuckled.

"Then do that we shall." Her boots carried her faster and faster to the three imposters. As they got closer, Will held out her arm and cast a perfectly straight spell of lightning at the woman. It hit her spot on, catching her off guard, therefore knocking her into the wall of water behind her. Her scream was silenced and the other two whisked around to look at their attacker. "One down." She grinned evilly holding her hand up again ready to take down another one. The woman hadn't been the one who had cast the spell, one of the men had; the chains remained intact.

"Will stop!" The blue glow surrounding her hands weakened. She turned her head to look at him, by now, the blue will-power marks on her face were glowing brightly, but not to their full power. "If you hit the one who is controlling the wave, he'll die and the wave will fall!" Maze was obliged to yell because of how loud the rumbling and thrashing waves were.

"Then what do we do?" she yelled back, her hair was blowing wildly and slapping her face. Wonderful, she wished she had pulled it back into a ponytail. If the wind blew any harder, she might've flown away. Fearing that fact, she grabbed onto a rock, slippery from water, but a steady hold nonetheless. The other two roared with rage at the loss of their companion to the unforgiving sea, and through her flapping hair barricading her vision, Will saw one of them summon a different monster. From the ground, a hand shot out, a bony hand with red wet flesh still dangling from it. "Zombies!" she pointed out to Maze. Granted, they were slow, but that just made them scarier. More moaning dead emerged from the ground and crawled towards them. "Great, more smelly things." Sighing to herself, Will held up her weapons protectively.

Zombies were usually old heroes that had died. Most of them wore broken and rusted armor which made them all the more easy to kill. The only problem was there was usually an endless amount of them. Their bones clacked together, rattling, as they moved in closer. Will redirected her lightning at them, killing three at once. As they died, an agonized yell came from their soul floating from its body. Green auras rose from each one that died, forming a face stuck in a low screaming moan. Pissed, she held out her hands again and cast force push, knocking back almost all of them to buy time, some flew into the current of water and others slammed into nearby rocks. More sprang from the ground, cracked weapons drawn and stench floating freely. "Maze!" she yelled, struggling against the wind to move her small body. Her green and black will-user robes blew wildly in the wind, she felt as if they could've been blown off if the wind grew any stronger, brilliant thought.

The old wizard had his eyes shut and was reciting something that Will wouldn't hear. The roaring sound had become almost deafening now as the wall grew taller and taller. On the wave were ships, with people still clinging to them, and rocks that had managed to be caught in the frenzy. The screams of people were drowned out by the ocean and Will squinted from the salt water prickling her eyes. Four more zombies were cut down by Will's blades. One brought its axe down hard on her, causing her to instinctively block with her swords crossed. Its smell was overwhelming her nose and eyes. The impact brought her to her knees, leaving her stomach exposed. A second zombie drove its blunt swords into that open spot. Will felt the rusty metal infiltrate her clothes and push against her skin. She gasped as it broke the soft pink flesh and slid in further. Her foot then flew out from under her and knocked both of the dead off their feet. Standing, she sliced the heads off both of them, at the same time, with an outward swinging motion.

Sucking in a pained breath, Will touched her left side feeling the warm liquid slide down her fingers on contact. The blood felt so warm, and yet, her stomach felt cold, like she had a stomach full of cold water. Just as she thought, the sword had slipped between her ribs, not far, but far enough to hurt. It was then that Will figured out the significance of Maze's muttering; the wall of water had begun to go down and it Will could now see well. What was even better was that she knew which one was controlling the Zombies. With a grunt, she stuck one of her swords into the ground and held out her hand, pushing her fingers forward like she was holding onto a large ball. Her hand then grew hot; a burning sensation tingled through each of her digits. A flame bright and red grew in her hands, but wasn't released. The residents of Oakvale watched from a distance as two heroes stood side by side trying to save their small town from utter destruction. From the smaller one, that they all knew was Will, a fire was growing from her hand; the fire grew larger and larger until it was almost the size of one of the cottages in Oakvale.

Will turned away from the light and squeezed her eyes shut from the pain growing in her side. Just a little more and the wave would be small enough to not harm any of the citizens. Beads of sweat fell from her forehead as Will used the last of her power to contribute one last spurt to the flame. She glanced at the sky and then at Maze. He nodded silently, and that was the cue. Mentally, Will released and the ball of destruction and chaos obeyed, propelling itself towards the remaining two of 'The Court', standing at the heart of the wave. Everyone watched as the ball hit the two men and incinerated them on contact, travelling even further into the wave, creating a hole that stretched to the other side of the partition. A sea of green flooded the area, growing in brilliance and intensity until it was near blinding. It was breath taking; unreal in its splendor, unless you were caught under it.

Exhausted from excessive blood loss and the amount of energy required for that stupid ball of fire, Will fell backwards. She didn't even hit the ground, but was hit by a wall of falling water first. Violently, her body thrashed and rolled around, at the mercy of the current, yet, she somehow managed to hold her breath. Not used to the free movement of one of her wrists, the shock hit her that Maze must have been in the water as well. Though, he would be fine, it was her own body she wasn't so sure of. Will opened her eyes a tad, only to see and feel green seaweed wrap itself tightly around her body and dust fly up, blacking out her vision. Through her floating veil of hair, Will saw blue, a familiar blue, not the hue of the ocean, but much brighter. Something hit her hard in the side, emitting a muffled grunt from the girl. What was it? Perhaps, a ship, a rock, hell, a carcass of some individual? The blue grew brighter and brighter, but Will could no longer see, she had submitted to the gravity of the water upon her. Like resting a child down, the sea gently placed her onto the ocean floor. First, her back hit, then her arms and legs, lastly her head landed.

In her presumed last moments in Albion, Will's thoughts drifted to a certain person; a boy with light blonde hair and muscles that rippled when he fought. The boy who understood Will and never judged her for the things she had done, but only the way she was deep down in her heart. That boy who had somehow climbed the high barricade surrounding her heart and was now nestling himself comfortably on the inside. Ciel's face outlined itself in the girl's head in bright, non-fading, colors. His bright eyes lit up when he saw her and a smile stretched across his face like a blooming flower, creating small dimples Will had grown so familiar with. Without noticing herself, Will reached for his outstretched hand that was so close, and yet…so far away.

Uninvited water from Will's lungs traveled all the way up her pipe and squirted out of her mouth like a broken fountain. The amount of water splashed wonderfully onto Maze's face. "Somehow, I knew that would happen." Sighing calmly, he wiped the stream of water sliding down his dark face, and that had dampened his white hair ever so slightly. Will emitted a series of coughs and gasps that shook her entire body brutally. Her ocean blue eyes stung with unshed tears that now began to slide down her face.

"Gaw! We's thought ya was dead!" A hard pat to her back sent more water flying out of her burning throat. The salt from the sea had definitely infested itself pretty deep in her body. It took a moment for her to see that almost the entire town of Oakvale, young and old, was gathered around her. The man who had so kindly beaten her spine in was recognized as the bartender. The bald bartender wore a thick tatty apron with food stains on it. His hairless head gleamed in the sun as brightly as his welcoming smile. Two traders that happened to be in Oakvale at the time had taken off their large decorative straw hats and were fanning her, hoping to rejuvenate her senses.

"Avo! She's alive!" It was a woman's voice this time. From the woman's words, loud appreciative chatter swelled within the crowd. The entire back of Will's head and neck throbbed excruciatingly from the liquid situated there.

"Maze?" she choked. He acknowledged her question, "How did you…?" He silenced her by tapping the intricately made circular seal just below her neck, indicating teleportation. Stupid, she could've teleported out of that disparaging moment whenever she wanted with her golden guild seal. She took a few more breaths to revive her system and looked down at the hole in her garments. There was only a scar left from where Maze had probably healed the earlier injury. It'd take a while for it to properly heal, but for now this had to be enough. "Can we get outta here?" She shut her eyes as Maze looked around at the people, glad to be rid of a humongous wave about to swallow their town. In silent understanding, he teleported the both of them back to the guild.

"Ah, Will is becoming quite the hero, isn't she?" the Guildmaster smiled, accenting the wrinkles on his old face. He stood in the green garden just outside the Guild, where flowers of different sizes grew, surrounded by thick bushes cut to an aesthetically pleasing shape. An instructor, wearing black, cursed the sparrows nesting in the Guild area.

"I suppose it's safe to presume that." Maze stood just behind him gazing at the mauve flowers strewn through the garden in proper places. The Guildmaster laughed quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" he queried, raising a white caterpillar he considered an eyebrow.

"She's unpredictable."

"I may have been wrong in my earlier judgments of the girl. Do you still have doubts?"

"I never doubted her. Yet, she continues to surprise me each day."

The Guildmaster straightened out his blue robes and continued to stroll about in the garden with Maze.

The air felt much clearer for Will the next time she woke up, she now knew what it meant to treasure each breath she took. Her jet black hair fell over her shoulders in a straight, neat line reaching down to her mid back. She'd cut it soon, but not today. Today, she leaned against the stone arch wearing the green dress that she rarely ever wore; her other clothes were being dried. Just outside of the stone arch were a platform and then a garden where two individuals were chatting and taking a short walk. Will effortlessly distinguished them as Maze and the Guildmaster. Next to Will stood Terra. Believe it or not, Will had begun to enjoy the older girl's company, whenever she got annoying; Will never hesitated to just walk away. "What are we doing here Will?" Terra piped.

"Waiting." Was her simple reply. Terra squirmed, there was a gleam in Will's aqua eyes that she didn't quite like nor enjoy being around. Will shifted positions with a certain degree of difficulty, her injury still impaired her.

"For what?" she dreaded to ask.

"Something amazing."

Confused Terra rook a cautious step forward, making sure to not run straight into the arch. Her heightened senses of hearing picked up a sound in the distance, the sound grew louder and louder until she could identify it as boots on the cobblstone. Senses also told her that the sound wasn't dangerous, so she remained still and her face vacant. Much later did Will detect those same sounds, but it was too late for her. The person whom the footsteps belonged to was standing an inch from Will, wrapping their arms around her and pulling her into a tight, bone breaking hug. "What in the…!" The proverbial smell of metal mixed with sweat and boy entered Will's nostrils and filled it like intoxicating venom. "Ciel." She greeted when he placed her down. He was breathing heavily and she could tell he'd been running full speed.

"I heard everything." He gasped, grasping her by the shoulders, "What the hell were you doing?" shaking her, he continued, "You could've died, I was so worried!" Once he got a good long look at her, the older male gave another tight embrace.

"Worried? About…me?" Uncertainty and confusion were evident in her muffled voice.

"Of course! You're my best friend."

Will froze, feeling another chill journey through her body at the truth he had just stated. _Best friend. _The words echoed ceaselessly in her head and at the same time, her arms rose slowly and returned the unrequited bear hug. It was safe to say she was at a loss for words. The friends stood there for a moment holding onto each other. Will felt an urge to hold on tighter and never let go, but, as everything went, everyone eventually had to let go.

While pulling away, he kept his hands on her shoulders, puffing some blonde hair out of his eyes with a small parting of his thin lips. "Thank you for saving my hometown. I was there, but you teleported before I could speak to you."

"It was nothing; Maze did a lot, as usual." Her eyes dropped to the stone floors, her stomach churning from a nausea borne of helplessness and lack of words, rather than the ocean water.

"Don't ever scare me again." Ciel finished letting go of her shoulders and nodding a hello to Terra.

"And if I say no?" she smirked quickly.

"You won't."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because I won't let you." He stated firmly, meeting her eyes. The guy was one to keep to his promises, no matter how impossible they were, she knew him too well.

A sudden playful look, that Will was more acquainted with, appeared on Ciel's face as he looked at Terra. The archer grinned and leaned towards Will, "So, Will, your reputation as a mischievous troublemaker is slowly starting to fade." Her matter-of-fact voice was put on and directly, solely, at Will. Ciel seemed to be enjoying the attack as well. What she said was true, though the young hero had spent her entire life, scaring students, thinking only about herself, and screwing up quests, her last couple quests had been utterly successful and were gaining her renown all over Albion.

Her eyes remained still and unfazed, "It seems I'm going to have to do something pretty big to redeem myself aren't I?" Ciel and Terra exchanged glances of worry. The girl didn't notice, she had, in fact, turned her body away from them and crossed her arms, facing the garden.

"Really now? What is it that you plan to do?" Ciel asked nervously.

With her body still exposed to the garden, Will angled her head back just far enough to catch Terra and Ciel in her eyesight. "I've already done it." Precisely two seconds after the final word flowed smoothly from her evil smirk, an explosion rocked the entire Guild causing Will's fellow Heroes to pitch forward, grabbing onto the stone arch they were standing under for dear life. Ciel looked up just in time to see a dark billowing cloud of smoke rise from the side of the Guild, where Maze and the Guildmaster had ambled.

"Will!" Maze roared furiously from where he was. It didn't take long for him to appear where Ciel and Terra were standing, but Will herself had already disappeared, laughing to herself at the small victory.

_What does it take?_

_ To make you feel?_

Thanks for reading. :{D


	11. Teenage Angst

**Hello thar! Thanks again to the very little people that read this. It's nice to know that someone cares. :{D I'm open to suggestions and such. Drop me a message and/or review. Ohoho, also, I must inform readers/writers, I have found a site that quizzes if your characters are Mary-sues or not. Check it out; I may stick it on my profile. The thing is self explanatory, but I highly recommend it for people about to start fanfic and making a character. Will-dear got a 32, which I kind of giggle at, but egh, take it! **

**voltagelisa****:** Ah thanks for reading again :{D Also, I'll take into consideration that whole switching up the relationship thing. Kay? Unfortunately, it might MIGHT not be able to happen because of the direction I'm steering the story.

**T.K:** Aw, Thanks, can't believe you actually read the entire story. I have myself a headache reading it again. Interesting character, I'd like to read about him, how about linking me up to a story?

**Drownwithme:** DERP, yes, I know I have updating issues. You're pretty shy on the review board, but I do enjoy discussing things with you through the private messages. And I do not go into that much detail about violence D

_The moment…_

_Is held in your arms…._

Most people found the sweet melody of a music box soothing, or maybe the sound of a child's laughter and joy. An often time, the sound of a mother's lullaby was something that could tame a beast as frightening as a balverine. For others it was different, they were calmed by cooking, sleeping, or just curling up by the fire and settling down with a favorite book. That was Terra's case, the girl was in high spirits anywhere that there was a book. Decorating her arrows always worked too. What was the point, weren't they were going to shoot through some fiend anyways? For Will, it was entirely different; she enjoyed the squishing noise of a metal sword being wrenched from a man or creature's guts. Disturbed child, yes? Most people would think so.

Blood covered blades were pulled out from a motionless bandit on the ground, "Why do you do that?" Ciel appeared behind her, his chainmail jangling loudly.

"Have to check if they're dead or not." Will subtly wiped her blades clean on the grass, only to jam them through another lifeless man on the ground, "Trust me, it's better to kill them when they're on the ground." The process was repeated a couple times. "They're quite annoying when they get back up." She informed him. Ciel turned away, he didn't like blood, he _never_ liked blood, the sight of it made him cringe. He decided it was best for his weak gut to simply turn the other way… until he saw Will-dear bend down and rummage through a dead trader's pockets. They hadn't gotten there in time and this poor man suffered for it, lying there with his face frozen in still horror and a young teen digging through his pockets. Curious questions always popped into her head, though bandits always had nice things, why didn't they ever sell it to buy hygiene products?

Forcefully, Ciel took hold of Will's arm and tugged her away from the fallen man, but the girl still managed to grab hold of two tattoo cards. "Stop! That looks illegal!" The girl grumbled, placing her prize into her own pockets; she'd sell them for a healthy profit later.

A high, childlike laugther reached Will's ears making her flinch. That noise only meant one thing…pixies. Pixies were fast little fairy-like things barely larger than a hand and damn near impossible for Will to hit with an arrow. A blue one flitted over her and Ciel's head, giggling madly as it did so. Ciel drew his bow and Will didn't even try, she swiped her hand forward and shot lightning with it, missing it each and every single time. "Why'd it have to be so damn fast." The little thing danced to the left, then right, then up, then down. "When I catch it, the head is coming off."

Suddenly, three arrows from the distance shot forward, knocking it dead in a single hit. Terra stepped out from behind a tree holding her glowing bow with satisfaction. She had cast multi-arrow on it, allowing her to shoot three arrows with immense power all at once. The archer got close just in time to see Will crush the dead pixie's head with her brown boot. "I wasn't joking." Will explained, holding up her weapons again.

"We'll hang back, you go on ahead." Terra instructed. Will, as a rule, wouldn't have listened, but Maze seemed very strange the morning he had set all of them on this quest. Yes, this was another one of Maze's tactics; it was his idea to throw them deep into the forests of Darkwood to find a camp of bandits. Will darted through mucky swamps and crashed past human like trees, hoping the branches wouldn't suddenly reach their spindly fingers out to grab her. This place scared her to no end, especially when the balverines would hop out of a tree, hoping to have another helpless victim. Her feet splashed through another swamp until she came to a clearing in a brighter part of the wood. Low and behold, there were three crossbowmen with their arrows aimed straight at her

"Hey!" It occurred to her how far she had run by how fatigued she now felt.

"Use your will." The sound of a random voice was enough to make her jump, scaring herself and the bandits in the process. It was that useless guild seal that Will had worked so hard to obtain. Maze's voice was amplified and projected through the entire forest.

"Maze, I'm not stupid." She retorted. Either he was here yelling at her or he was scolding her indirectly through a seal.

Will took advantage of her foe's distracted state by casting a lightning bolt at them. One struck a bandit causing him to scream out in pain, showing off his yellow teeth, riddled infected gaps after each one. The whooshing noise her ears identified made her body, without delay, dive to the floor. What came next was the sound of an arrow missing its target. Wooden splinters and tree bark shattered and tore from the place where the arrow hit, landing in broken shambles on the swamp floor.

"Will, don't make me come over there." Bloody hell, he was getting infuriating. Her body tucked and Will managed a very sloppy roll before landing right in front of a bandit. Easily, on one knee, she inserted one of her sharp edges into his lower stomach and pushed until it jutted out the back of his chest. The crimson dripping from his mouth perfectly matched the red that adorned his body. The last one, frozen from watching his comrades, was the easiest target; Will swept both of her swords at a slight diagonal, cutting a deep gash in the bandit's chest and stomach. Though Will might have liked the sound, she hated the smell. "You must find the book."

"The… book." Will seethed through her teeth, narrowing her eyes to slits. "You send the three of us out here FOR A BOOK?" The word prickled at her like fire.

"Go back to get Ciel and Terra." Instructions completely unheard by Will…again.

"I'll get your stupid book for you." Sincerely, she didn't need them getting in her way, the girl could manage on her own.

"You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're incompetent!"

"Derp, if you talk to me like that, I'm never listening to you." The book wasn't protected in too fancy of a way. In fact, it was just sitting there in a tent. Oh, well, if you account for the several bandits, Hobbes, and pixies she cut down-slash-ran away from, it might have been protected considerably well. Will also had to go through the hassle of navigating past the poorly set traps. A spear flew nicely past her head, probably taking a bit of her hair with it. "Hm." She mused grabbing the book. The hardback had an old, dark green leather cover coating it. The pages were rotted yellow from what she could see of the edges that were soft from years of being handled. Though the black-haired girl never read, she decided to make an exception for this poorly kept book that Maze poured his heart and soul into finding. Of course, the dang thing wouldn't open no matter how hard she tried to pull it. There was, in addition, some inscription on the front, in a language her tongue could probably never pronounce. Ironic, the one time she actually wanted to try something new. The tent made from frayed cloth moved in command with the wind, generating a flapping noise, but other than that …silence. A petite teen stood in the middle of the tent holding a book in her green-gloved hands. They were different greens in contrast, but Will was in too deep of thought to notice.

A wiry frame suddenly made an appearance in the gazebo's entryway. Judging from its calm posture and body shape, Will construed it to be no threat. "Will?" A soft voice, no strain, calm, it had to be Terra. This ancient book had to be vital for accomplishing a task; Will just didn't know what sort of task it was. The older teen stepped forward, pushing her short brown hair behind her left ear.

"No wait!" Finally, Will remembered that there had been a trap she forgot to trigger, that the idiot archer had managed to accomplish for her. Due to her horrible sight, Terra's other senses had been projected, hearing especially. In return, she was the only one who heard the sound of rope sliding against the floor and she, alone, was the only one who leaped out of its grasp. Though, the snap, whoosh, and squeak that followed made her feel guilty.

For Will, on the other hand, the floor became her new sky and the geometric top of the tent was her new ground. She wriggled like a butterfly still stuck in its cocoon. A wondrous sight actually, a hero being strung up by one foot, seizuring madly, and clutching a book in her green-clothed arms. Terra gasped and jogged to her colleague, who was hanging upside down, hair flying widely, thanks to gravity. "Are you alright?" her eyes were wide as saucers, both with a glassy quality to them.

"Do I look alright, you dimwit!" If only she could swing forward a bit more, she could bite the other girl's nose off or, better yet, slam her hard head into Terra's. As if it couldn't get any better, Ciel poked his yellow spiked head through the entrance. "Good, both of you, get me down." The two complied, but not before Ciel fell over laughing, evidently pleased at the girl's distressed position. Over the years, Ciel had managed to earn himself the renowned title of 'Ranger'. Wherever he went, people would call his title, they may not have known his name, but a famous title was enough for them. The name was well earned as well, what after infiltrating a bandit camp, saving Knothole Glade from the white Balverine, and receiving a letter for the arena, it would have been peculiar for his reputation to not shoot through the roof. Now, the muscular man was taking a crack untying the twisting hero on the rope. After being kicked in the face, ribs, and every part Will could reach, Ciel and Terra ended up cutting the rope, because they believed they deserved some compensation for being punched and kicked ruthlessly.

"Here, take this back before Maze loses all of his white hair." Grumbled Will, still brushing her clothes off. Terra grunted as a weight was unloaded into her arms. Both took turns trying to open it, Terra, of course, just wanted to cram as much knowledge into that dainty little skull of hers. She watched Will saunter off to a treasure chest in the corner of the tent, pulling out a black bag that made the other two heroes worry. "Hello." Purring, the girl dumped the contents of the bag onto the floor. Simultaneous clangs of metal hitting the floor rang in Terra and Ciel's ears, making them wrinkle their faces to the bouncing and chiming of the objects.

"Oh.." Ciel's jaw plummeted.

"Wow." Terra completed. The two exchanged looks of bewilderment.

"I'll never comprehend why these things require so many keys." It was true, all over Albion, there were treasure chests. In each of them were treasure, respectably; clothes, items, and all that good stuff. Common chests were a dull auburn color, while the pretty rare ones were blue, with a clean white outline on the edges. As always, to acquire the nicer things in life, you had to work a bit harder. One by one, the small silver keys were clicked into the keyhole, each of them a perfect fit that rotated like a charm.

"Dare I ask… where did you get those?" Terra's timid voice was brewed with fear and worry, like Will's crimes had been her own. Still stuffing keys into the lock, Will named them off, with extraordinary memory, where she attained each key and by what means.

"Uh, dead guy, guy who killed that guy, Maze's quarters, some shops in Oakvale, shop keepers don't really pay attention there." She paused, deftly lifting a particular key with two fingers, "Oh there, this one still has blood on it." Casually, similar to observing a kitchen spoon, the hero turned it around with nimble movements of the fingers.

"We should go back now." Ciel said apprehensively, "Maze will want this book." Actually, what it really was, the male could see Terra's face grow paler and paler with each reason.

"Wait what? I didn't get to the part with the severed heads." Will inserted the last key into the hole.

"Okay! We're done, Terra, go wait outside." The wobbly girl did as she was told, nearly stumbling out, maybe because her eyes sucked. The archer, though not sheltered from death, was still struck in the psyche whenever she thought about a person dying before her. Before too long had passed, Ciel found himself standing alone next to his best friend. "What'd you find?" interested, he leaned over her shoulder heavily enough to push her over.

"Hey! Hey! Whatever it is, it's mine; get your heroic blubber off me!" Jubilantly, she reached in and pulled out her prize. Admittedly, it was small, but it would go for a couple of very shiny coins. A stone as large as Will's palm glowed bright green in the middle of her hands. The teen had been around many business dealings with jewels, but she had never seen one of these types. "It's shinier than the fire that time we tried to set fire to the library."

"Ahem, you tried to set fire to the library, not me." The Ranger punched Will affectionately on the shoulder, producing a stifled grunt from the girl. Damn, that hurt, an older muscular man punching a young teenager hurt like nothing else.

"You were an accomplice," replied the girl.

"How so?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You held the matches."

"You told me they were candles!"

"And it worked!" The last couple words got Will another friendly pat on the back. She wheezed, but it turned into short gasping laughter. Ciel, ran his black gloved fingers through his sun colored hair, enjoying quality time with a childhood friend. Moments that he really felt elated were just sitting with her talking about life in general. The corners of his lips pulled up into a smile, indenting his cheeks.

Pulling open the brown satchel Will carried on her person at all times, Will slid the beautiful green jewel into a safe slot within her bag. "Will." The same voice that had called her name for many years was now calling her again.

"Hm?" came the inattentive reaction. Keys scattered on the tent floor were still maintaining her full attention.

"Um." He didn't know why it was so hard to say this, especially to his best friend. There was only one single reason he could possibly fathom, but that thought was pushed quickly from his mind. "Did I tell you…?" He clarified in his head that it would be practical to inform her of his current situation. His upper white teeth went down to clamp themselves over his lightly scarred lower lip in a sign of hesitation. This action, along with a few more preceding it, reeled in his friend's attention. Ambiguity was etched into his countenance and every part of his chainmail clad body. Ciel stood, unmoving, sucking in a deep breath, he disconnected his dry lips. "I'm getting married."

Time seemed to visibly slow itself down and the floor began to crack slowly, ultimately opening into a big gaping black hole, swallowing Will into the darkness. All of her twisting, soft, hot insides seemed to pour out of her body by the theoretical knife she'd been jabbed with, like a warm mug of beer emptying into a cold, transparent state. Then, the person took hold of the knife, and turned it clockwise, much like the way a key would work in a key hole. Finally, they wrenched it out with a deep look of malice set in their eyes, mockingly. "Oh." Came her witty reply. Mechanically, her head creaked when it turned to catch a glimpse of him. Will blinked several times before placing her hands on her hips. "You? Married? Impossible? What was she, drunk?" Cackling maniacally, Will disappeared when a million blue sparks came to life, engulfing her body. Through the blue light, Ciel watched his friend disappear, her laughter still humming strongly through his soft brain tissue.

Over one thousand screechy violins sounded in the atmosphere, filling Will's head with nothing but a cacophonous noise. No matter who called her name, there would be no remedy for the buzzing feeling. Bizarre, Bowerstone South never looked so foreign to her. A guard whom Will was very familiar with moseyed by, swinging his sword merrily as a display of strength and authority. His euphoric face dropped when he noticed the girl standing in the upright position near a couple of barrels begging to be broken. "Oi!" Like a lifeless, doll, Will's head lolled to one side, an eyebrow rising. "I'm watchin' ya!" Tauntingly, Will rested the tips of her fingers on the goodie-filled barrels. Even the guard's agitated mood and bright red face wasn't enough to pull her from the, out of character, trance. Hay was kicked up whenever Will took a step, it was all in all unfeasible to not step on hay or run into a chicken in this place. Sliding her feet along the ground, a couple chickens clucked and evaded her unforgiving feet. A cylindrical red and white object spun in slow motion just outside of a doorway. Leaning on the doorframe of the barber shop, was a woman in her late thirties, her hair was pulled neatly into an up-do, allowing a few shorter strands to fall onto her face. Will herself had actually maintained her hair style very well, not permitting it to go past her mid back, or her bangs to sneak below her deep blue eyes.

"Ah, Maleficus." In Latin, the word meant something along the lines of mischievous evil-doer. Well done Albion, well done. Will did her signature two finger salute and continued on. Yes, Ciel wasn't the only one who had attained a popular reputation with the villagers. Near the center of Bowerstone, there were intricate stairs that led up to Bowerstone North, titivated with a lavish carpet and protected by blue and red clad guards. All they ever did was clank their steel boots, pacing back and forth. The only reason Will had ever been able to go up there was because of Maze and his relatively fame-filled life. She was allowed to go up there now, but all she ever did was walk up and torture the prisoners sitting behind bars, waiting for execution. No one had much of a doubt that they'd see her there soon, but, it'd be long time before they could catch her. Just beside the fancily carved steps were stalls made from wood, where some of the people of Bowerstone slept on scratchy cotton cloth they considered a bed. A man stood outside of one of them slamming a hammer into metal, most likely making or modifying a weapon. From her bag, Will revealed the green crystallized stone she had discovered.

"Lookin' to sell?" he asked suspiciously, wiping his face with grease covered work-gloves.

"I might try something different actually." Eyeing the sparking crystal, the man was disappointed at her words.

"Paying?"

"Guess so. I'm not sure if you do this. "

Hot sword and hammer put down, the man listened with interest to Maleficus' anomalous instructions. In response, he began explaining about how he could modify it to her liking, it gave the impression that the troublemaker was being attentive. Also, the weapon specialist was filled with delight that no more of his items were being destroyed or stolen 'on accident' by her.

Unbeknownst to Will, a vision in purple observed her from the acme of the greatly embellished steps, in front of the protected wooden doors. Standing in front of the two guards was a woman who went by the eminent name of Lady Grey. Her pale hands were folded neatly in front of her body, lightly concaving her purple and white laced dress. The blonde hair that hugged her strapless shoulders was neatly decorated with two matching purple flowers of the exotic kind. Though beautiful, her eyes had a cold, hard emotion within them, one of a woman who didn't care who got in her way. Lady Grey's bright red lips were pursed into a non-amused smile that accented her slightly sunken cheeks. The black color around her eyes merely made them a hundred times more intimidating. It was curious to Will how she obtained the position of mayor of Bowerstone, but it wasn't something she wanted to delve into, she wanted nothing to do with the woman who gave bad vibes. A smooth sultry voice leaked from the woman's mouth when speaking to the guard. Low and seductive, she could cajole a man into fulfilling any of her twisted desires. Will flashed a quick glance at the mayor, seeing something she had failed to admit before, she saw herself. Another voice trapped Will's attention; she turned to find Terra who was no longer holding the book, so she had probably handed it to Maze. "What do you want now?"

"Don't give me that, I spoke with Ciel." Her brown hair waved radically with the wind. Words coming out so forcefully were never a tactic done by Terra, so Will was actually taking note. "He's your best friend; can't you at least go to his wedding? Say you're sorry?" An annoyingly innocent quality sparked in her eyes that made it impossible for anyone to say no.

Will, on the other hand, simply said, "No." Amid that being answered, Maleficus faced away.

"You're afraid." Words, words that Will had seldom heard Terra utter to her before were being spoken now at this very second. "You're afraid to admit that you care for anyone!" The flimsy voice had grown into full blown, perturbed shrieking. "What about me? What if I were lying here with my head split open and hobbes feeding on it?" triggering no response, the archer felt her glassy eyes blur and a cherry color creep gradually across her face, "Do you care for anyone Will?" she shouted, hands fisted and doing her absolute best to hold her ground.

"I guess not." The will-user replied coldly, without turning, she touched her Guild seal, teleporting away, Bowerstone Lady Grey, and Terra distorting, then fading from her sight.

Sunsets looked nice in Will's opinion, when the falling sun wasn't blinding you with its dying rays. She sat there on the ledge of her abandoned tower looking onward into the wide expanse. Very few overachievers were out tonight perfecting their swordplay or archery. The musty smell of the stone tower was comforting to her at the time. Right now, her feet dangled off the edge, farther than usual, if she grew wings, could she fly away? To meet her mother, the only person who might make her feel welcome. Tightly, she gripped the ledge until her knuckles went colorless and her nerves made her let go and scoot back to the safety of the wall. She shivered unconscientiously and distractedly drew her cloak around her arms like a blanket.

"I thought I might find you here." A second body crouched low, settling itself down approximately a foot away from the girl wrapped in her cloak.

"And why is that?" Will drew her knees in tight and pressed her lips against them, exposing only her nose and mouth to the world.

"There hasn't been a cry for help within the past hour."

"Shut it."

Maze brushed his elaborate clothes and rested his hand on his dark cheek. The bright blue lines outlined on his face seemed to glow in the dark for Will, "Did you hear…" she spoke up finally, keeping her mouth sheltered by her knees, "Ciel is getting married." The words felt like poison as they were spat from her mouth. Maze and Will sat in companionable silence for a minute contemplating her words.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Direct strike, shields down, straight through the chest. He didn't even bother to make the question less burdensome or look at her to see the reaction.

"Yes…" She shrugged in a way that only a teenager could possibly do. Damn her for not even putting up a fight to that blunt question, damn her for being a teenage girl, and damn her for just being herself. "I understand now that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you give up, you only end up hurting the ones you care about the most and are trying desperately to protect." Then, her chin was pulled up to situate on top of her knees rather than behind them. Nightly breezes wrapped a few segments of black hair around Will's face and tickle the nape of her neck. "I guess to care… is to sacrifice. In the end, everyone loses." Maze, after listening, didn't respond, sliding two fingers across the gold decoration sewn into the material of his green gauntlets. His large red collar attached to his trench coat, flapped wildly in the night air, his white hair had even been caught in the fray. "What?" His gaze on her was as if she'd sprouted two extra heads, but remained trained on her, prompting her to continue. "Oh yes Maze, I can be deep too." She added, throwing in a beaming grin to show her unhidden pride. Grin fading quickly, Will plopped her chin onto her knees again. "I guess, the only way to get through life is to remain detached, by distancing yourself. Don't get close to anyone, and don't let them know you care, you hurt them less. That way, you don't care if they kill you, or if they die." Pale eyelids lowered over bright blue spheres in her pause. She gulped a bit, trying to prevent herself from bursting out with any more ranting, useless nonsense.

"Do you care about anyone, Maze?" The question was met with silence, then footsteps heavily descending the meandering staircase. "Hey!" Too late she realized, hearing his footfalls fade into nothing, Will was alone again. "That was rude."

_I __**want**__ to know_

_The little thoughts in your __stubborn__ mind_

_Thanks for reading, means a lot._


	12. Never speak of this again

**WittyShenanigans here. Okay, no one kill me for this chapter, I was on some serious crack when I wrote it at like 3 a.m. in the morning. And I'm not sure if this happens to anyone else, but the later it gets, the crazier I go. Like, no joke, everything is around 100 times funnier and ideas that would be really stupid in the morning sound like Einstein ideas past 1 a.m... **

**Why then didn't I delete it and completely start a different chapter after finishing this trainwreck? Well, I suppose I kind of chuckled at the idea and want to go back in time to that night to point at myself and say, "Oh you~" Consider it a filler, nothing serious. Okay, off topic. Thanks to the people that read this! REALLY REALLY, I know it's a pain up the butt to read, since the chapters are so long. Seriously, I want to hunt down each and every one of you and give out hugs. Of course, in society today, that's considered stalking. If I get enough requests, I probably will shorten the chapters a wee bit. Everything is appreciated. :] **

**HyperactivelySedated: **Hallelujah! Another person! That Mary Sue test, I think people really should consider it before making their characters, there is so much of it in the fanfiction world D: ALSO, THANK YOU. Yes, the caps lock was necessary, you made me feel more confident about my horrendous writing. No, really, I have like a million of my (probably annoyed) friends read it before I put it up.

**To everyone who faved and such and such, many thanks and perpetual hugs! Oh, Jeez, I need to stop. Long-ish chapter here.  
**

**Chapter 11**

_And **I**_

_**Want** to tell you who I am..._**  
**

Quests, wretched things they were. People happened to always be in some sort of trouble at the worst time ever. As everything went, quests and missions went by levels, something Will specially didn't take pleasure in. Some were more difficult than others, while others were as easy as babysitting a child. The upside to tagging along with Maze on missions was that he had quests of an insanely high level that other apprentices, and even advanced heroes, weren't allowed to have. Will went on these quests a lot of the time. Quests were usually taken in the map room, where the Guildmaster seemed to always be as his permanent perch, under the stairs leading to apprentice bedrooms. There he was again just standing there, watching heroes and apprentices alike coming through. Present on chance was the tour group that visited the Guild every now and then to admire its splendor, glory, and its many century old history.

"Hey Maze, I'm picking the quest card. You always pick." Her hand already hovered with anticipation over the map room table, which held a map of Albion above it and an assortment of untouched quest cards. Her entire body leaned into her hand, using the map table to support her weight. Though it was difficult to notice, Will had aged, maybe not as advanced as she wanted, but still she could now legibly pass for eighteen and retained the mind of one too. Not really waiting for his approval, she snatched one up without much thinking, his belated reaction would have to be put on hold, "This looks legit, you'll like it too, it's vague and everything." If one didn't know any better, it sounded like the duo were grocery shopping. Maze swatted at the card being waved in his face.

"Very well, fine, let me see it." He skimmed it over, seeing that the only request was to investigate a strange stone that fallen from the sky near Fisher Creek. Archetypal of her to pick a quick, simple quest near a fishing area. Will threw a theatrical fist into the air, pulling it down just as dramatically, following Maze in a whirling cyclone of light. The blue disappeared at her feet and the two stood in Greatwood, one of the most harmless forests. Will and Maze trudged through the muddy path, composed of fallen autumn leaves and snapped branches. Passing the great stone arch, they came to a quaint fishing area. The place was surrounded by small ponds and rippling lakes, filled with fish that added to the serenity coursing through the air. To confirm it, a butterfly fluttered gaily, in an unpredictable pattern, inches from Will's button nose. Built strong and sturdy in the center of the lakes and ponds was a small house made from powerful wood; it would take a lot to tear that thing down. But, even with a home like that, the residents still evacuated because of some monolithic stone that had spiraled from the sky. Maps were tools that Will seldom trusted, especially this one that was leading them farther and farther down a steep mountain trail. "I think you made a wise choice with this one." Maze chuckled, taking pleasure in watching the girl stagger and trip every ten seconds. Limbs shaking, the youth grabbed onto a jagged rock for support, ignoring the hard pressure against her palm.

"Sh-sh, this requires utmost concentration." Nothing more came from her mouth when Maze strolled, with ease, past her. Body arched to a feline point, with her hands gripping whatever was nearby; Will scowled, lowering herself to flatter ground.

"Tsk, Will, even an old man like me." trekking down a mountain was something Maze had done many periods in his years, not that Will really ever cared to ask him about his life, but it was the truth. In fact, one of his first missions was to climb a mountain much steeper that this little inclination. With a mere grunt of exertion as he landed gracefully at the bottom, Maze felt a laugh catch in his throat, which he played off by clearing it, when he turned to check on his former apprentice. In the center of the rocky hill, sat a stone, pure white in color and one of the largest boulders among the others; it was that rock that Will was sprawled across. The girl hugged it, as if she were a spider embracing the rock like a new found catch. The Wizard had to turn away to keep from sighing too deeply. When the girl finally landed inelegantly on her rear end, Maze pushed a couple more insults back down at the moment he saw what lay before them. Will rolled to her feet unsteadily and spotlighted her interest on whatever it was Maze was gaping at, anything was better than her latest adventure. In front of them stood a wall that had to be at least thirty feet tall, it was a divider that Will and Maze had failed to note before, possibly because it was so well hidden. Green vines, flecked with brown dirt, spreading its fingers across the entire wall obdurate to its hold, signified how ancient, and well-built the barrier was.

Soon, though, his impassive mask resurfaced, and he moved towards the strange wall, stimulated by curiosity. "See, I pick good ones." Trying to eradicate the rest of the debris settled on her clothes, Will grumbled, knowing he couldn't hear her, giving herself the encouragement Maze refused to shower her with was enough for the teen. At the wall, Maze pulled his hand over one of the vines, unsettling some dirt in the process. A strange feeling sent signals to Maze's brain, until his trained senses tingled; something wasn't right. A mere touch from the wall sent shivers up and down his spinal column and a shock that jolted his acute alertness to life. Every movement was cautious from then, on Maze's part. An army of dust particles flew up when Will virtually raced to his side, ruining all hopes of peace and caution. Using one massive hand, he halted her movements by placing a hand on her shoulder. An admonishing gleam in the man's hard eyes put an end to Will's movements, hell, it even worried her. Carefully, she studied him, one eyebrow arched upwards and the other pushing her eye into a squint. One of his green, fingerless gloves still inhabited her shoulder, while the other was curled into a fist, bearing down gently on his short white beard. What mirth was in his eyes evaporated, throwing Will into a filled pool of questions. The blue will-power shapes on his face twitched, causing Will to fidget uneasily.

"Wait here a moment." Serious and funny accent didn't go very well together. Will was one of the people who had developed immunity to being scared by Maze. Great, here she was again, just like the old days where she hadn't even become a hero yet; stuck waiting for Maze to finish having all the fun, then come back to tell her all about it. Was the guy really trying to hog this quest all to himself, then boast about it later? Naw, even Will knew that her mentor gained all the respect he had somehow. Not even realizing herself, Will began to produce a soft humming from her throat, all the while checking her nails. A moment later, she made a disgruntled face, trying to relieve her fair white nails of the dirt invading it. This was proving to be rather invigorating for the girl, not to mention entertaining and a wonderful way to distract herself from thinking about what Maze was discovering behind the wall. From her light pink lips, came a demented giggling when the itsy bitsy speck of dirt dislodged itself from her fingernail. She tended to scare people that way, not that she cared, it was kind of hilarious to watch them cringe away. Finding the simple challenge highly amusing, Will scanned her finger nails for more signs of dirt. Always white nails were quite hard to maintain, which was why Maleficus freaked when she saw them glow green. No, it wasn't just her nails, thank Avo, it was her entire lower half…and the floor for that matter.

"AUGH!" Will looked up in time to see an emerald light flood her vision, sending joggles all the way around her brain. Amidst the entire jade smoky glow, something flew at a soaring velocity past her green shielded eyes. Judging by the noise she'd just heard, the only possible thing it could've been was Maze. Conquered by an unforeseen sense of panic, Will darted in the direction Maze's body hurdled. At first, the glows still impaired her vision, but after hearing a crash and a dozen rocks sliding down to entrap its prey, her eyes refocused. Feverishly, she hauled and towed away the rocks that might have been crushing Maze at this very moment. She was even confused at the rate in which she worked, Maleficus should have been more than overjoyed that he was buried under mounds of rock, but the fact of the matter was, she did care.

"Can you hear me?" Dirt was definitely stuck in her nails now and tiny bits of rock perhaps, but Will paid no mind, her only objective was to pull him out and rightfully scold him for not taking her along. Oh, he was going to get it, and perchance, she'd throw in that cavalier attitude he illustrated all of the damn time. Throw her chin in the air and wave her arm around like some sort of king, she would. It was her turn now, time for the scolder to become the…scolded. First of all, where the hell was he?

"Calm down!" Oh, well, apparently he was alive. Will sat there, puzzled beyond all reason, his voice sounded perfectly fine, not muted by a ton of stone. There it was for a second time; he had heaved another sigh. He had better have a logical explanation for making her nails filthy… and a cake, a very big cake. "Get back to the Guild, now." The adolescent couldn't have been more led astray. "I-I, just…" Stammering and stuttering on his part impelled Will to ask a question she infrequently posed.

"Are you okay?" They even tasted alien on her dry tongue. She decided to shut up, expressing concern usually just made things more complicated for her. "I'm going to go investigate it myself, you can just continue playing hide…and no seek." Azure orbs whizzed left, right, up, and down in search of her companion. In the end, she gave in and drew closer to the wall.

"Stop!" he thundered, freezing Will's boots to the spot.

"Why?" Growing tired of his indistinctness, she flailed her arms riotously in the air in dissatisfaction.

"Hmm…"

A very Maze–like sigh ricocheted across the slopes, making it impossible to perceive or pinpoint his correct coordinates. Very slowly, more sluggishly than Will could ever hope to achieve, Maze strode from behind a boulder. In the second she laid eyes on him, Will's jawbone unhinged to its fullest extent, pushing her eyes open into colossal disks. She tried to speak, but the way her mouth was hanging, it was an unworkable accomplishment, but she did manage to look like a cow, with the way they rotated their mouths in the chewing procedure. This was insanity, it wasn't physically possible, or mentally for that issue. Stuck in her amazed stupor, her eyes remained on her teacher as she dropped down to level ground. Everything dropped a foot and a half lower and Will's knees hit the ground with a thud. Again, she tried to force comments up her vocal cords, but with no avail. The teen clenched her teeth together in frustration and gulped. Of all the quests the two had been on, and believe me, there were a butt-load of those, this had to be the most uncanny, out of the ordinary, bizarre quest they'd ever accepted. "Muh, muh, Maze?" Will blinked her eyes countless times, wondering if she was stuck in a very ill-humored dream.

"Yes," he exhaled, letting her get a good long look. "It's me." What had her so flustered? What befuddled her to a peak where she'd collapsed to the ground in downright mystification? Will shifted her eyes downward to land upon the doll being held upright by two, soft, cloth legs. Simple mauve-red, gold, and sea-green fabric was sewn over a tan base. Stitches were sewn into the face to symbolize scars from battles. Even light blue fabric was used to sew in the blue will-lines on the face symbolizing powerful magic. White pieces of twisted string were carefully placed and sewn on the doll's head to act as hair for the little thing. Two black bead eyes looked up at a girl who had recently fallen to her knees in wonder. For a mouth, the doll had one, but it was barely visible over the gold scarf it had been fashioned. And, in case anyone was wondering, yes, this was Maze, standing their in all his seven-inch tall glory.

"M-Maze, you…you…!" It was Will's turn to stammer. Now, all that was left was to find a rock and put an end to this blasted dream. Then, she'd either wake up with a massive headache, or…cuddling an empty mug of beer. Thinking about that, her chances were pretty good.

"Don't say it." The little black thread moved when he spoke.

"Y-you're!" she couldn't help it, if there was one thing Will liked doing, it was either lying, or telling the whole blunt, honest truth.

"I'm warning you girl!" growled the Maze-doll, pointing his arm at her, which was nothing but a little brown stub, no fingers and no detail whatsoever.

"Cute!" blurted Will.

"What?"

"With your little arms, " There was no doubt, he was absolutely adorable, which was why Will couldn't help grabbing his arms and wiggling them to her heart's content.

"Stop it." Embarrassed, but no equivalent to her strength, he tried ineffectively to pull away.

"And your hair!" The girl played with that too.

"Will, stop."

"And your itty bitty legs!" Her heart was about ready to explode into a million fuzzy love molecules. This, compared to grumpy old Maze was so much better. Maze saw that she was about to do to his stubby legs, what she had done to his hair and arms, and stepped in, swatting her hand away.

"That's it!" he raged, waving one fabric arm furiously at her, "You're grounded!"

"What? You can't do that!" Will countered, leaning away from the irate toy.

"Watch me." Maze backed up two tiny steps and placed the tips of his short arms to his soft head, the movement made Will smile. Her nemesis had transformed into a seven inch doll, all that was left on her birthday wish list was for the sky to rain food produced from special meat clouds. "We have to go back to the Guild, now." How cute would he look next to all of the other hero dolls, just sitting there in a neat, bunched up row, Will thought. "There might be a spell or book that I overlooked." All the seriousness that composed Maze's very being had dissolved into a little doll of cotton and cloth. That just made all of his stern threats and severe concerns like meaningless fluff. "Listen carefully; unfortunately, I've been rendered quite vulnerable in this…body." And his weapon! Maze's mighty staff had been reduced to a pencil-like stick, as hazardous as a kitchen fork. "I trust you to be my only source of protection, should we come under attack." Ah, all of the tiny balverines he could slay with that little weapon. "Will!" he caught her daydream.

"Huh?" Bewildered by the turn this quest had taken, and being pulled out of her deliberation, that was the most rational answer he was going to get.

"You never even listen to me." The doll dropped his head, making Will swoon. Dolls were the only other thing besides food that infatuated her with unmatchable joy. "We'll have to fix this, forthwith."

"Of course I don't listen to you; you use big words like… forthwith!" Ignoring her last comment, Maze spoke.

"Now, lift me up." Illustrating his command, he held up his doll-like arms, similar to what a child would do to grab its mother's attention.

"What?"

"You don't expect me to climb this do you?" he was referring to the small cliff, the heroes had descended a while ago.

"What happened to, don't-touch-me-grumpy-aurgh-I'm-grounding-you doll?"

"Just do it, and for pity's sake, don't fall!"

"No promises."

To be honest, Will was ecstatic about cuddling and holding the doll, even if it was Maze. The problem was that she didn't know how to go about the process of picking him up. Long moments passed, Will with her arms outstretched, rotating around his tiny form, discomfort apparent on her features. Near his little golden belt, directly on top of it, she selected her point of attack. Maze felt her fingers wrap around his body and lift him from the grass, still wet with morning dew. An odd sensation, being lifted from the ground, a thing like this hadn't happened since he was a child, akin flying. His past wasn't a pleasant one either, not one meant for swapping childhood stories around the welcoming campfire. A shoulder came in contact with his body, Will had chosen carefully where to put him, she had no clue how fragile he was or if his magic worked. Though, it may not have been a wise choice to set him neighboring her ear. After searching, Maze found a nice crevice to nestle in. "Comfy?" Sarcasm and jealousy was expressed because he was the one who got to sit through her climbing the stupid mountain. Watching, and using her practice over the years to ignore Maze, Maleficus decreased the distance between her and the promising trees up ahead. Her legs moved stealthily on the rocks, a great improvement from going down. What tended to be the opposite for other people, going up was a good deal less effort than coming down. Maybe she just didn't want to fall.

Tourists, those men and women were at the Guild every hour of every day. All of them were rude, can't get a word in without them telling you to shut up or leave them alone. Who was so interested in a tour of the Guild anyways? Presently, the group was standing in front of a stone statue of Maze, listening as the tour guide explained to them about the great Hero. Carved in great detail, the artist captured everything down to the tiniest fold of his cloak. "Oh, if they could see you now." To think, what would happen if she picked him up and pitched him at the admiring folk? With her hands on her hips, Will examined the stone sculpture that now had the sun's rays hitting it, radiating a majestic aura for the crowd. One arm was bent outwards casting a spell and the other arm was back, holding a staff that made Will choke with laughter, remembering what he now had. The stone head was held high to the heavens, displaying pride and unparalleled authority, everything Maze really did have. For an actual instant in her life, Will almost began admiring Maze for being a brave hero, a role model people could look to for protection and refuge, even her. Every thought of that fell away when the ungrateful doll used both of his stubs to smack her ear. "Ow! You!" She was overreacting again, of course, but Maze-doll was pulling her last nerve. Pulling him from the security of her cushiony shoulder, Will shook him fiercely, babbling incoherently at the little nuisance.

"Wha' are you doin'?" Still holding the doll with her two hands, Will finally took notice of two tourists who were watching her behave strangely.

"Uh, I…" Maze didn't move, in fact, he fell limp in her grasp, informing Maleficus that she was on her own. Picking up the hint, she grinned, "There was a bug." Will kept her eyes trained on the two women as she clouted the doll with her hand, "I'm allergic," That opportunity was taken to send another deserved slap to Maze's stuffed head. After the two women departed with the rest of the group, Maze thrashed back to life. "Way to maintain your dignity, Master Maze." Oh how she loved being the one in command.

More books, how many friggin books did Will have to be around and not even read a single one? Though, she did take great delight in watching the Wizard leaf through the books with his doll-like features. Occasionally he'd struggle flipping a page or two, but pop right back on track. Book after book after book after book, Maze had developed a tiring routine; leaping off the table, strolling to the books, selecting one, then carrying it back to skim. What was Will doing? Sitting under the large window, dozing off every five minutes, and examining a mask suited her just fine. The mask in question was the one that Maze had picked up during their mission with 'The Court'. Porcelain and heavy could sell for a good amount of gold in Bowerstone, but keeping this as a memento would be fine. Now, she held the mouth-less mask in her hands, able to inspect it at close range; it had suitable slits for the eyes and a tiny bump for the nose. Tracing across the fancy red and gold outline dominating the region around the eyes, Will spoke, "Why'd you keep this?" On the mission, she recognized this one to be the least prominent of the three. Possibly, it was the only one he could find in the mass amount of water.

"Keepsake." Not looking up, Maze snapped the book shut, dragging it across the table, then pushing it, with his tiny body. "We need to go back."

"But we just got back!" The girl crossed her slender legs in protest, "Take a load off, relax!" Mask still in her hands, Will put it on her lap, leaning against the wall.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't convert into a child's play toy." Reasoning might do the trick.

"You're right." She admitted guiltlessly. Or not.

Maze looked like he was about ready to burst at the seams, but he knew Will too well to submit to her immature demands, "You know you'll get a reward after you finish the quest?" Literally a trice after he had said that, she scooped him up and headed back to Fisherman's Creek.

Walking was something Will really did not feel up to doing during lunch. Sure, she could've been back at the Guild chomping down on pie right now, but no, she was running around trying to fix Maze's miniature crisis. "I'm so conflicted right now." Her stomach called sadly to her, wondering why the daily schedule of it being filled was wrecked. By now, sweets, and succulent meat should have been running down her throat, dampened by the intermittent gulp of water. The girl licked her lips greedily, producing another disappointed whimper from her empty tummy. Without a qualm, taverns were going to get some good business from her after this little dilemma was solved. Mind filled with boosting thoughts of juicy meat slabs and a whole roasted chicken, Will took no caution in sliding down the mountain like a big slide. Maze wrapped his diminutive arms around her head for an ounce of sanctuary. Four in the afternoon wasn't too late for lunch, and even if it was, she'd just have an extra big dinner; perfect.

"Focus." Maze's voice being so close to her ear made her a tad but uneasy. Finally, the two were standing before the ancient wall again. Running her hand along it as she neared the gap Maze had entered through last time; Will expanded her lungs with air, suddenly fearing what she might find. Now she took the time to realize that whatever it was, she had to face it… alone. Yes, Maze was there, but ever so useless sitting there like a bump on a pickle. The other side of the wall didn't look so different from the front. She let air escape from her mouth, soundlessly, through an almost invisible fissure between her lips. Nothing bad happened yet, only thing she saw were dolls thrown across the entire lot and a boulder sitting in the middle of the doll bodies. A yellow haired doll caught Will's attention; its facial features weren't facing Will at all, unlike the rest of its body, which was turned in her direction completely. An impossible angle for a real human being, a live one, that is. Something soft and reassuring grazed Will's cheek; the material could only be Maze's doll hands. It was weird, Will imagined Maze to be composed of rough, scratchy fabric. Quite the opposite was what she got, much similar to a doll back in Hook Coast she'd hugged to sleep on restless nights. "Put me down over there." Without protest, Will set him and the book down. If Maze could've grimaced he would've when his soft legs touched the muddy ground.

"Do what you will, but I like you a lot better as a doll." As interesting as this quest was, only Will could sense how boring it was cracked up to be. No monsters, no people in need (except maybe Maze), and how were they going to even get rid of the stone?

"Which is why I'm doing this." He opened the book to the correct page and began speaking. Not long after the words began flowing smoothly out of Maze's sewed on mouth, a rustling of leaves produced by something other than wind put Will on edge. Ignoring it, she watched Maze, the cuddly version of him at least, but not for long. Another rustle, this time, there was no effort to conceal it. Bit by bit, Will revolved her head to the left, the yellow haired doll she'd looked at coming into view, only, the thing had rolled its entire body to face Will, a position it unquestionably was _not_ in before. The wind must have been blowing mighty hard for it to completely turn over, glaring at Will with its black bead eyes. Our hero's expression went comically blank when she about faced to find at least twenty-five more dolls standing straight up, much like Maze was right now, and looking right at her. None of them spoke, or made a sound, they merely stared, which made them creepier.

"Maze?" A cracking whisper was used in fear that the little dolls could hear her, and leap at her with newly grown gnashing fangs.

"I'm busy Will!" It was a longer spell than he had accounted for, they'd be there for longer than he intended.

"Maze!" Whispers had developed into a whispering-squeak… which must have sounded pitiful enough, for Maze rotated his head to have a look. His frosty blue eyes locked with the army of dolls blocking the exit.

"It is fine, Will, they're not doing anything." The calming quality was mostly meant for Will, but he wasn't able to disguise the pinch of uncertainty. Her twin blades remained sheathed and Maze's attempt at calming her worked for the most part, until he turned back around, she was as jumpy and nervous as before. Reciting the spell from where he left off, Maze kept his voice soft, keeping most of the words inaudible.

They were moving again, not in a manner like they were controlling their own vessel, but someone was doing it for them. Children often did so with their dolls, picking them up and bending them into a position suiting their fancy. Except, there was no hand, and this was the last time Will was ever going on a vague quest with Maze. What she would give to be escorting a trader through the dark, marsh filled, balverine infested, horrors of Darkwood. The invisible hand picked up the dolls one by one and two by two, and connected them at the hands and feet. First, it made legs, then arms, then a torso of little dolls just hooking onto each other, each doll looking more old and forlorn than the next, dolls that had been forgotten. Seeing it build larger and larger, Will took a step back, seeing the finished product; a creature made entirely out of smaller dolls. "I'm dead…aren't I?" That was the only conclusion Will could come to. "I died, and this is hell." On the contrary, it couldn't have been hell if Maze was a cute little doll. The doll monster towered a good two bodies taller than Will, the hole where the mouth and eyes should have been glowed a bright looming ruby. "Hey Maze! Are they doing something now?"

Hearing sarcasm, he looked at her once more, "Look, Will-…" Maze stopped short, seeing how wrong he was. His cohort, in comparison, looked like a doll herself, shrinking beneath the growing mount of stuffing. "Of all the-…" he shook his head, "Will! Distract it while I finish this!" Returning to his work, Maze read faster than he did before, praying that Will could handle this job.

"Oh, yeah, how about this time, you fight off the monster, and I'll sit there and read." A melodious metallic slide of swords unsheathing put Maze somewhat at ease. Will charged forward, swords out, ready for a bear hug. When close enough, she pulled them in, hugging herself instead and slicing the stomach of the doll. Puffy white cotton flew around the battleground along with bits of torn fabric and dolls. Spitting, another chunk of cloth flew from her mouth. Next time she performed that move, she'd have to remember to keep her trap locked. The red mouth of the monster widened and roared, bringing down a doll-covered fist at Will's head. How much could a fist made from dolls hurt? A lot. Will couldn't tell if she was gazing at clouds or more cotton balls, the monster had expelled so much, it was impossible to tell what was what. Wheezing, Will swung her right leg clockwise, in a big circular motion, following it with her left foot, to propel her body back up into a standing position. It wasn't that humiliating for her, she'd administered an attack so perfectly, she'd cut the creature down by half. Will stood back, watching the red eyes unbalance themselves among the overabundance of dolls. Basically, she felt confident, confident enough to put her weapons by her side. The wizard ignored most of the girl's comments, sliding his eyes across the black symbols upon the worn page; the spell would send the stone back to wherever it came from, this was way too much for them to deal with. Spending the rest of his life as a doll wasn't exactly the way he wanted to live the rest of his days. Alas, the incantation was nearly complete, halfway to be exact.

White puffs floated to the ground when brushed gently by the back of Will's hand from her shoulder. Finding nothing better to do besides listen to the roaring of the monster, she watched the little fluff drift to the floor, settling nicely an inch from her foot. Around her were still motionless dolls that hadn't been moved to join this pitiful fight. "I think they're-…" Cut off by a horrendous clap to her back, Will bucked forward, waiting for the taste of grass and dirt to clench onto her teeth. But, that didn't really happen; the young will-user was being pushed by a force strong enough to bring her all the way to the monster-doll's body. "MMMF!" Everything, but her eyes, was being smothered unkindly into the creature's chest. The thing, or things, that had pushed her, was a superfluity of stuffed dolls; ones that had been left lying around the area. They were going to swallow her up. Covering Will's body didn't take too long, and within moments, her body had been fully surrounded and suspended by a sea of child toys. Using the hero's body to its advantage, the doll-creature grew larger, its spiteful mouth spreading into a bone-chilling leer.

Not hearing the usual protests and sporadic whining that governed Will's normal speech patterns, Maze spun. His little body tensed at the sight. Really, he didn't know whether to be worried or utterly confused. This was one for the history books, a doll-creature coming to Albion and turning one of the most famous heroes into a doll, then swallowing another one whole. Other heroes would be out decapitating bandits or haggling with traders, but no, he was trapped here, dealing with doll-creatures from some other world and a loud-mouthed brat. To his dismay, the monstrous giant began advancing towards him, slow, but it was coming nonetheless. Perhaps he could finish the spell in time, before the thing got to him. Making his choice, he concentrated on the spell. The man didn't get past two lines before his doll form flew athwart the field, slamming into the serrated cliff wall. "Uhn." All he could do was roll flat on his back and reach his hand to his side, "You must be joking." He muttered to no one in particular. Spilling out in small portions, from a rip in his cloth-y side, was stuffing. No, not blood, stuffing, the sort one would fill a doll with. Even though his blood had been replaced with cotton, the wound hurt, nonetheless, and needed to be healed. Concentrating his will energy, Maze let an angelic white glow illuminate his torso. Little pieces of thread were sewn into his rip, making it look like it had healed, "An interesting twist…Alright then." Maze suddenly found that leaving his book unattended was a bad idea indeed, for the doll-monster had picked it up and was ready to get rid of that, using its body to swallow their only way out.

The thing then came for Maze. As expected, he dodged and ducked, easily leaping out of the way of the slow thing. He knew he couldn't destroy it, so saw no point in attacking it. Instead, he focused his efforts on the volume in its immense hand. Jumping on the body proved to be a very strenuous activity, seeing that the dolls the creature was made up of, were reaching out their arms, trying to restrain the stealthy mage. Countless times he was knocked off or had to get away from the groping dolls, for safety, but jumped straight back on each time. Provided that he could reach the book in time, Will wouldn't suffocate and he'd be rid of this body once and for all. Just a little longer, he would make it. Beating back the dolls with his little staff was much harder than he thought, but now, he was inches from the goal. With one final grunt, he hopped past what should have been the doll's elbow, arms outstretched for the book. If it were possible for a doll to sweat, he would've been covered in it. This was it, he had it, the book was his.

_Not exactly._

An unexpected force blew the doll apart from the inside, sending pieces of cotton, stuffing, and dull rainbow colored fabric in all imaginable directions. Among them was Maze himself, flying straight back, his eyes to the slowly darkening sky. The roaring of the monster commenced, full of resentment and viciousness. Maze's moment of sailing through the air was halted by the mysterious rock they had been sent to investigate. Sky raining doll parts, bits of cotton flew up in the air, like smoke, when it cleared, there was only on person left standing. Now that Maze thought about it, there was only one person with a force push that strong and timing that unconventional. "Miss me?" Will lowered herself in front of the slouched doll.

"I can't say I have." In her hand, Maze noticed the one thing he'd been striving to achieve; the red covered book. "Will! The book, give it here." The girl, to his shock, took two steps away from him. Holding the book by the spine and facing it towards the sky. Will leaned her wrist back next to her head in thought.

"I don't know… I kind of like you like this." Maze leaped upwards, only to be easily evaded by the younger hero stepping back.

"Will." He breathed. The monster was pulling dolls back into its currently failing body, building up once more.

"Uh-uh, you will tell me about my mother." Maze was fairly amazed by her untimely request. That had been a subject both had mentally agreed not to touch on. So many questions were left unanswered in that area. Naturally, he hesitated.

"This really isn't the time, Will!" She took another step back, shaking the book in her hands. The creature had built itself up, extensively larger than it ever was before.

"I will rip this book in half." The random urge to know about her mother wasn't exactly so random at all; she'd been planning it for a while, but knew that the subject was a tender spot that even Maze didn't want to open the book to. She was merely waiting for the opportune moment to spring it on him and during her time in the doll's body, this epiphany came to her.

"Fine." Though under the stress of a towering fifty foot monster behind him, Maze's answer was sincere, not rushed nor was it said just to have the book in his possession. Satisfied, Will lowered it to him, only to snap it back up.

"And, I want-…" she continued

"Will!

"Okay, okay!"

After dropping it in front of him, Will turned to the creature and charged, leaping as high as she could and re-casting force push. The spell blew the doll apart, but, due to its size, not that much. Falling doll appendages were hit out of the way by the kid's twin blades working cooperatively together. Using her swords to hack away the dolls making up its legs, Will didn't account for the thing falling forward on top of her because of its imbalance. "I'm not sure how well I thought this out…" the teen brought her swords up in a guard, seeing the thing wobble and teeter off balance. One step, two steps back, and finally she whirled with blinding speed, slicing apart eight dolls zooming towards her, ready to slap her into the mother doll. Her victims thumped to the floor, torn and leaking stuffing. Shifting her hand to hold her left obsidian longsword like a boomerang, she chucked the blade at the monster with perfectionist form that would've put Terra and her little arrows to shame. Will's mouth went agape when the blade sliced through, but was eventually gobbled by the doll's body, causing a horrified shriek to release from Will's mouth. "Are you done!" To answer her question, a glowing light distorted her vision. Squinting, Will tried to remain alert and aware of the creature, but it was much too bright to see, so an arm had to be brought up as a shield.

Just as fast and mysteriously as the stone had come it was gone. Maze opened his eyes to experience the world in a new light, sighing with vast relief at his body being the same size as it should have been. Angry muttering came from behind him, followed by the sound of objects being furiously shifted. From a pile of regular, motionless dolls, a cringed will-users hand shot up, then another. Will hoisted her body out of a sea of dolls, hyperventilating and combing her tongue with her teeth from the remnants of stray cotton. Drained, the girl fell back, glad for the cushion provided by hundreds of dolls. Then again, if they were to reach up and grab her again, eh, she might let them. Will let her eyes roll up to the waterless ocean above with fat white whales gliding along it.

"We never speak of this quest again?" It wasn't so long before Maze was standing above her, the wind blowing his clothes and white hair.

"Agreed."

_Because the people that** you** let in _

_are so hard to find..._

**Thanks for making a believable attempt to read. **


	13. Forget me Not

**Eh, mah gawd, look! Chapter Thirteen. I swear, the end of this will make sense way later. So we're advancing in the story line a bit for those of you who play fable. I hope you enjoy this, thanks to everyone who subscribed and reviewed. I feel the love. No seriously, you guys send me flapping my hands from sheer delight. **

**HyperactivelySedated: HUR, because if we had something crazy like that, everyone would be like 'LOLWUT?' Serious stray from the actual serious-ish storyline. HAHAHA. Yeah, never writing at 3 a.m. again. Glad you enjoyed that little smidgeon of my unconscious state xDD**

**Den of Thieves: Thanks for reading! Yes, I actually got the idea from his doll from Hook Coast, but of course, burst into dramatic tears because it was right after I killed him DD SO MAD. But for some reason, I totally knew he was going to be evil, those kinds of people are. Ahem, THE COOL ONES. DD:**

**OH AND AND AND ! Some very kind people and I, drew pictures of Will, even though some people don't know who she is! I love you guys! photobucket(.)com/albums/xx183/ThemShenanigans/**

**Because we know how much I suck at explaining the way people look.**

**Thank you everyone! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Thirteen**

_And their words are just __whispers and lies_

_That I'll never believe._

There are many places in Albion that people fail to discover simply because they don't know where to look. Like Will's tower balcony for instance, although, one had to be a deceitful, sneaky person with a talent at lock picking to find that. Other places, one simply had to use common sense. Where does this lead? Well, of the large quantity of people living in the Guild, only one person has actually been able to find a hidden place amongst them. Yes, right in the Guild and everyone overlooked it all because they were so focused on being brute heads rather than logic utilizing beings. The person being spoken of is in fact, not Will. Will and logic? That would be a complete inconsistency in her character. Albeit the girl harbors an insurable amount of cunning, being book smart never really appealed to her, due to her acute dislike of the things.

Terra stood in the Library Arcanum, hidden from all eyes by the demon door guarding her little hiding place. The room was outdoors, but shielded greatly by old trees that would never in a million years be removed. Ancient bookshelves lined the walls, containing volumes and volumes of rare archives, ones that would make scholars keel over with envy. Every step the girl took crushed tall, thin blades of grass beneath her. The Library Arcanum wasn't large; it spanned about the same size as the map room within the Guild. There were two tables and chairs in the entire room, each covered by old greenery and dust; everything was carved from the finest oak. Near the entrance, there lay a circular rug with diamond shapes plastered decoratively on it. The backdrop of the pond was various, thin lightly colored trees contrasting the dark oak the room composing the preponderance. Terra didn't mind, her motto in life was that you grew to like everything eventually. The fish filling pond, occupying half of the 'room', provided calming noises to keep the archer at ease. Rays of light cast down from the sky, lit up the pond area and proper parts of the Arcanum, including the table where Terra now sat.

In her hands, bound by an olive primordial cover, was a book with foreign inscriptions on the front. Her hands still trembled from actually congregating the heart to take this from Maze's quarters. Atop the tiny table and littered on the floor beside it, were documents on translation, languages of the old kingdom, and other material. Forgive her curiosity, she only wanted to open the book and discover what secrets lay within it.

"Might I question, how you managed to apprehend that book?" A thump sounded as Terra stood, her chair falling back onto the dirt and grass. Her brown hair was a mess, falling over her eyes like brunette show curtains. The girl wasn't used to being caught, she was a good girl, and never in anyone's lifetime would they expect her to steal or commit a serious crime. So, the shock of being found out for the very first time scared her to no end. No one had ever been able to pass the demon door before, but, apparently, Maze had.

"I-I How did…?" Blabbering idiots was a thing that even Terra resented, so she composed herself, "How did you get through." Clearing her throat, she swiped the book from the table and hugged it to her chest as if it were a teddy bear.

"I know how to get anywhere in this Guild." He replied coolly, folding his hands behind his back. Terra felt her heart quicken and was starting to take refuge behind her brown drape-like hair. Though her vision was horrible, she could see his dark outline and robes. "Why did you take it?"

"I'm curious as to what is in it." Heightened senses gave Terra a sense of perception that others couldn't comprehend, and the tone in which Maze was speaking to her in sent all of her senses on high alert. She feared him on great levels, but refused to show it.

"As am I, but I shall be delivering it to an old friend of mine to translate." Maze watched the girl, he'd been acquainted her long enough to know the archer's sharp senses. "Here." He held out a hand assuming that she'd place the book in it cooperatively.

"I can do it." Her grip didn't loosen on the volume, it actually tightened.

"I've been through these books, and I know you can't Terra." The teen couldn't sense any waves or changes of frequency in his voice to give off deceit or false information. No matter how hard she looked, it wasn't there… not even a little vocal strain to help out with her hunch. It was a thought, but she still couldn't help the itch that came with it. Admitting defeat, the green book was transferred from Terra's small hands to his hands, much bigger in comparison. "Thank you." Something blue circled his feet, travelling upwards to circle his entire body. Maze teleported away, leaving Terra alone in the Library Arcanum.

_Dear Will, _

_It's been a while since we've spoken… some things still un-cleared. I'm at Witchwood right now, I've just been crowned the new Arena champion. Proud? I guess it is an honor. They pitted me against balverines, bandits, hobbes, undead, trolls, and then a scorpion! That's not the worst part. During the team rounds, they let me fight alongside Whisper. Remember her? I'll wager you do, she hasn't changed much, still enjoys attention. She was a great ally, fast and helpful. The horrible part was that Jack of Blades, a famous hero I guess who was hosting the competition, pitted us against each other. Bad, right? I defeated her easily, but then they wanted to make me kill her. I spared her life of course, I could never kill an old friend. _

_It's raining right now, forgive the water drops on the paper, they might make the letter harder to read._

_There's more by the way, I found out that my mother is alive! And she was a hero. Her name was Scarlett Robe, slayer of Balverines. Amazing isn't it? Her statue is in the arena. Also, this Jack of Blades guy, he seems a bit untrustworthy, saying he knows where my mother is. I believe him, but now I have another letter from my sister to meet her at the Grey House. I'll be going later today, but I wanted to write you a letter to let you know how I was doing and find out how you were doing. I miss you Will, I miss times when things were a lot simpler. I'll be by to visit the Guild in about three months. You had better be there!_

_ Ciel._

What Will liked best about her childhood friend was that he knew Will's inept ability to say I'm sorry. Every since they were little, they had developed a mental understanding with each other. Both agreed wordlessly to forgive each other without some sort of sappy 'I'm sorry'. Will fell back onto her bed, making the letter rustle, wedged between her forearm and her chest. After the dramatic exit she'd given him long ago, it was heartening to know that she'd been forgiven without an awkward moment being exchanged. All that troubled her right now, was his note clearly stated he'd be by to visit three months from that day; four months had passed since she received the letter and no word from Ranger, not even an apologetic letter. Again she checked the rain stained note, but found it to say three months instead of four. Water had made the paper crispy and more prone to ripping, which it already had at the upper corner. Using her legs to rock her body into a sitting position, Will allowed the letter to float from her chest and land on her creaky bed. The dent she created in the bed, with her butt, rose to fill in when she stood, the bed groaning in relief from her weight.

Her opening of the door was answered by a distant crash that wouldn't have been heard if it weren't so darn quiet. Will hadn't gone on a quest, deciding to wait in her room in case Ciel were to show his face. That confounded crash came again, rattling Will's senses. "That's it." She moved summarily in the direction of the fuss. She was surprised to discover the noise originated from Maze's quarters. Taking two stairs at a time, she went up the winding arch stairs, stopping just at the top. "Maze?" She looked at him; his hand was braced against the wall just next the hearth. Air was entering and exiting only through his nose. Will then took notice of the state of the room; books and papers had been pulled from their shelves and strewn all over the usually clean floor of Maze's room. The only table had been flipped completely over and the poor matching chair launched across the room, knocking over a stationary suit of armor. Most of the clanging she had heard was the helmet rolling down the five steps leading to the platform with the large round window.

"Not now…Will." Maze kept his head bowed low, not meeting the eyes of his former apprentice.

"Wow, I kind of wish I had something to do with all this." Maleficus pushed her arms out like she was trying to give the room a big bear hug. Finally, she dropped them back down to her side and stood, not even giving his current state any consideration.

"Ciel is missing." Seeing that the girl wasn't going to leave him to his thoughts, he just told her.

"He's a big boy, he can take care of himself." So that's why he didn't show. Why was Maze so distressed by this?

"You don't understand."

"Then let's go rescue him." She offered, being worried herself, but wouldn't show it in a million years. No response from the old wizard. "C'mon Maze." Shuffling towards him, like she knew something he didn't, instigated edginess. "No one should feel like this..." Will motioned to his entire stance, "On their birthday." A smirk planted itself in the center of her face.

"What?" Maze, in all the hullaballoo in Albion, had completely wiped from his mind the date of his birthday. And yet, she knew. "How did you know when my birthday was?" His weight leaned away from the wall, as he took a step closer to the teen. Will subtly pulled the table back up into a standing position and headed to where the chair had flown, biding her time.

"I looked through your journal." Now it was just the suit of armor, no way in hell was she fixing the books. Effortlessly, she hoisted the suit of armor back into place and went to retrieve the helmet.

"You what?" The helmet was a perfect fit, sliding with ease onto the metal pole where it belonged. Crossing her arms and descending the five steps, she spoke deprecatingly.

"You know! Labeling a book 'MAZE'S JOURNAL' in _big_ letters, then putting it on the middle shelf, isn't the finest way to keep it hidden." Wry words, but true to the core.

"You choose to read something, and it's _my journal_?" Will sensed so much bottled up anger in his system waiting to break free and beat her to death.

"Ironically….yes."

"What else did you read?"

"Not much, I got bored after page three, and I put it back where I found it." Maze pulled his journal from the shelf; it had the appearance of a simple brown book, but it recorded all of his journeys and memories since he came to the Guild. In anger, he squeezed the book until it creased, he knew to be careful with things around Will, but he'd failed to conceal the journal.

"I'll have to find a better place for this." Whispered Maze silently.

"Oh yes, because that worked out so well the first time." It didn't matter where he tried to put anything, she always found it.

From her eyes, Maze could tell that she was hesitating to say something else. From her sigh, he knew she had something else to say or do. "Ahh." Flipping her satchel flap open with two fingers and producing a brown box, Will reluctantly held it out to him. "Happy birthday…yeah." As hesitantly as she had handed it to him, he received the article in the same manner. "It's a gift." Wow, this was almost as bad as when she'd assembled the courage to give him a 'thank you' hug around thirty five years ago. Ciel had laughed so hard, his side nearly burst apart. He was gone now, all grown up, with her still here, an eighteen year old. Maze proceeded to remove the lid from the box, cautioned and prepared that there might be a pixie leaping out of it. Green speckles dotted his face at the removal of the lid. Maze blinked, his expression and words distraught. He supported the box with his left hand and lifted out a green jewel, with seven thick, small gold blades equally distanced from each other, fashioned creatively into a charm. "It helps your magic power…and such."

"Did you…?" His eyes remained on the glowing crystal.

"Steal it? No."

"Thank you Will." Maze held out his right hand and Will immediately took his wrist in a medieval friendship grip, glad that he didn't go and hug her to claim vengeance for earlier. But…he didn't let go. "You really are kind at heart Will." Struggling to pull away from his vice grip, discomfort slinked over her face.

"Let go." The grip tightened, "I will punch you in the throat." Knowing the validity of that threat, Maze chuckled, unfazed, but released her hand. Will tottered back, but caught her balance before sending her body on an embarrassing trip down the stairs. Playing it off by sitting in the wooden chair worked out better than she thought. Crossing her legs, she relaxed watching Maze carefully inspect the gift.

"Is this your good deed for the day?" He asked, giving her a knowing look.

"No!" Scoffing and inspecting her nails, "I graciously stepped around someone when they fell in the dining hall." The male shook his head, though experiencing unanticipated emotions that he never thought would be sprung by Will, his mind didn't stray far from his earlier objective.

"We have to go now." Glancing at the girl who nearly toppled out of her chair gave him more entertainment.

"What? But it's your birthday, don't you want to unwind, rest, buy me… er, yourself a cake….then share?"

"It's highly urgent. You may stay, it's your decision."

"Oh, if you're going to find Ciel, I'm going."

"It is…and it isn't."

Will got into the standing position; not bothering to put the chair back in the proper position, once was enough. "What does that even mean?" Not feeling obliged to give an explanation, he responded harshly.

"Are you coming or not?" Startled, but determined, she nodded. "Take my hand." Will gave him her hand, situating it on fabric of his gloves. His fingers closed around hers, covering her hand entirely. A loud ringing noise, a blue glow, and the two disappeared in a poof.

The duo teleported to a place that Will could honestly say she didn't recall on any of her adventures. "Where…" Her question was left unanswered and completely shunned when she faced Maze's departing backside. "Wha- Hey!" Not liking being ignored, Will began to wonder if this was how Terra felt.

"Keep up." Since she'd trained with him, Will was accustomed to his emotionless demeanor and learned to deal with it, as well, amuse herself with his frequent conniptions, but for now, she'd just hang in the background. From the moment she'd entered, a putrid stench tickled her nose; one of men who hadn't showered in years, it seemed. Her face contorted to show her depreciation of eagerness to be on the mission with malodorous surroundings. Another thing that surprised her; there were guards patrolling the vicinity, a great number of them too. They wore different outfits than what Will was used to. As a substitute for the customary guard uniform of blue and red, they wore complete red. There were no windows, no paintings to decorate the walls, only lights, similar to a dungeon. Indestructible stone pillars came down from the ceilings, and extra rafters were used to support the enormous structure. The girl deemed it wise to not wander from her teacher and made herself familiar with her current environs from there. A castle structure much similar to the Guild unfolded as the two advanced farther into the organization. All of the guards kept their eyes plastered on the pair, mostly on Will. Though their eyes were hidden completely by their red uniform caps, Will could feel their glares bearing down on her back. A scream, a piercing scream of a tortured and dying man echoed through the entire building arousing chortles from a few men, but nothing from Maze. Without more ado, Will grabbed onto the hem of Maze's robes. "What is this place?" What kind of place would guards openly allow people to cry in aggrieved suffering?

"Bargate prison." Tired of her questions and inquiries, in order to silence them, he answered them. Will stopped moving, taken aback by fear.

"You'll never take me alive!" So this was how it ended, her own teacher, turning her into the authorities. The nerve! She just gave him a gift too. Roughly, he grasped her wrist.

"Will! I'm not here to turn you in…not yet anyways." Her sputtering and complaints were answered with, "You chose to come." As unpleasant and unavoidable that answer was, it still stung. Will followed silently, discounting any more atrocious screeches that reverberated through the halls. As they went deeper, the amount of guards lowered until there were none and they entered a different section of the fortress. Following Maze's long strides demonstrated itself to be an arduous task. The room they then entered was a large circular stone room with two large circular railings enclosing two bodies of water. From an aerial view, they would've looked like blue eyes much too large for the face. Maybe there were fish, but Will's snooping nature was so constricted right now, she didn't want to take one glance over the railings.

"Wait here." After a long trip of silence, the mage finally spoke.

"Huh? What here? No!" Maleficus desperate remonstration went unheard, earning her a door in the face; a metal one at that. Growling with her mouth shut and slamming against the door was a wasted shot. The door didn't even budge, not even a groan to egg her on in her task. Will leaned on the metal door, exhausted and hoping to catch a conversation inside. Pounding on the door with her fist after each syllable, "You fat, mood swinging, book reading, old man!" Stopping abruptly when she heard yelling voices, Will listened. There wasn't a single word she could make out, not even one bit.

The door opened and a very un-amused Maze stood in the entryway. He was used to her clowning around, but her current childish antics weren't what he was teed off about. "We're leaving." Not sparing her comfort, he dragged her along by the forearm to where the entrance was.

"But, we just-negh." Will found it complicated to keep her words straight when being dragged by the arm out. "Don't grab me! You now I have space issues!" Struggling was making the task harder and harder for Maze to complete; he grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her down.

"Will please! For once in your life, girl, do as I say!" There was no witty remark sitting in her throat waiting to pop out at that. Her eyes widened at the, almost, begging tone unable to be hidden in his voice. There were a few things Maze didn't do in his life. One, he didn't like to show pain; his entire body could be submerged in burning acid, and his face would remain the same. Two, admit defeat, being the strongest will-user in all of Albion can't exactly handle that kind of blow to his reputation. Three, he never begged. His holier-than-thou attitude he had with Will was completely gone and replaced with another, one that needled her brain. Will raised her blue eyes to meet his; she was actually catching up to him in height, the tip of her head could touch his chin…on tip toes.

The floor rumbled, if Maze hadn't been holding to Will's shoulders, she would've toppled straight over the railing and into the water. Maze, letting go of the girl's shoulders, began pulling her along again, they weren't far from the arch. "No" he whispered, seeing a red energy blocking the way out. The glow was faint, but if he tried running into it, he couldn't get through. Easily, he could recite a spell to take down the thing, but it would require Will's help. Aqua green bubbles the size of their heads began rising from the two large bodies of water behind them. A long bellowing howl followed shortly after. Both will-users found themselves craning their neck upwards to get a good glimpse at the _two _sea creatures that broke the surface of the water. "Krakens." Their enormous heads had two white, oversized eyes dominating the upper side of the faces. Everything about it was sharp and needle-like, including its gills and fins. Being impaled by any of those would mean death to all. The left Hydra's elongated neck elevated from its personal pool next to its brother's and manufactured a sound unheard to man, revealing a mouth full of randomly placed, sharp, long, white incisors. No particular pattern in general, just a field of white daggers of death. The Hydras kept their teeth bared in bloodthirsty smiles.

"Note to self. Avoid the teeth." The serpents simultaneously sank into their respective pools. In their places, four long, thick tentacles, from each body of water, shattered the surface and aimed themselves right at the heroes. Maze and Will moved swiftly out of the way, wary of the eight slippery tentacles chasing them.

"I think it'd be prudent to avoid the tentacles as well, don't you think?" Those wonderful words echoed through Will's head, long after he'd said it. Each tentacle could have picked Will up and hurled her straight back to the Guild with ease. They all started out the same, but branched out into two smaller tentacles, like gross squishy fingers. All along their entire serpentine bodies, there were white glowing spots. Will rolled around the perimeter, narrowly escaping the tentacles slamming on the ground just behind her, shaking the room. Maze had made his way to distract the other one, so Will had this lovely Kraken all to herself. Pushing herself onto her feet, Will drew her blades and positioned herself directly under one of the dripping wet limbs. Now was a perfect opportunity to try out a new spell she'd recently obtained; multi-strike. A vivid carroty glow surrounded both of her swords. Seeing that the spell was cast, she waited patiently for the wriggling appendage above her to drop. Right now, it hovered above her, very much resembling a hawk screening its prey, but well, could Will look any more helpless? As anticipated, the tentacle dropped and was met with glowing orange blades, thankfully, the blades won. Unfortunately, when half of the tentacle detached, it collided nicely with Will's body. Will's Hydra wailed, pulling its bloody stump of a tentacle back down with a loud splash.

"One down." She pushed the tentacle off, her arms aching dreadfully from the effort. Maze leapt around with ease, he'd already relieved his Hydra of two tentacles. Darn the competition that always brewed in her gut when Maze did better than her. Student surpassing the teacher was a goal in her mind. The older Hero held his staff, twisted horizontally, behind him, maintained his stature in a low crouch, and detained his opposite arm across his body ready to cast; his standard fighting stance. Vigilantly, he was backing away from the current tentacle stalking him.

Water then began seeping through Will's clothes from some unknown cause while her attention was focused on her companion. "EUGH!" A cry of surprise was let out without her notice when she felt a foamy, slippery tentacle circle around her body. Feeling like her small form had been stuffed into a hydraulic press, her weapons clanged to the floor catching Maze's attention from across the fortress. He helplessly watched Will's petite physique disappear beneath the plane of dirty blue water. His own problem swung two tentacles at him, with every intention of crushing him against the wall. Grunting, he leaped, landing on one tentacle, then safely hopping off the other side. In a single, swift movement, his bladed weapon travelled into a tentacle, slicing it clean off, leaving nothing but a red, meaty stump in its place. Will hadn't come back up, but he was sure she could handle herself, no need to display unnecessary concern.

Blue liquid snaked its way into Will's nostrils, burning her head once again. She was really coming to hate water in general, the way it was just assiduously itching to kill her. Under the water, the grip didn't loosen and Will was beginning to regret that she didn't take a breath before going down under. Will refrained from making any noise or wasting any precious oxygen, but her industrious struggling was far from finished. The next time she cracked an eye open, a row of jagged fangs was by her face. Cold water scratched at her face like sand as the tentacle pulled her close, just stopping an inch shy at the screen of teeth, her body grazing the sharp armor coating the serpent's body. Her vision, though blurred by the rippling blue, could not miss the jaws of death before her eyes; its glossy white orbs were staring her down. Finally, all of her squirming paid off; Will freed her right hand through a small gap between the coils of the wet appendage. That was all she needed save her arse. Her right palm felt hot with burning power, she felt an energy surge forward from her numbing body. All that energy was released in the form of a hot fireball, almost the size of the Kraken's spike-y skull itself. The fireball shot through the sharp wall of teeth, shattering it beyond repair. Blood mixed itself in with water, turning the pool crimson red in shade. Still stuck in the serpent's adamant hold, Will was losing air fast, she had to take a breath or her mind would flip straight out of her head. What puzzled her was how the grip didn't loosen yet; the thing was intent on taking its slayer down with it, Will thought. Or not. The girl took a substantial, gratifying breath when flung out of the water. Though glad for the breath, the creature didn't cease in its spasm, shaking the hero around harder than a child's rattle. Her heart pounded in her ears like the sound of a regiment of drums, roaming her skeletal outline until her very limbs ached with a similar pain.

When her brain felt as if it were going to boil over and spew out onto the stone floors, the grip undid itself. But, due to Will's body still moving at a high speed, she slipped form its grasp and torpedoed straight into the cavern wall knocking off a few stones in the process. The first impact was already enough to send her the blue of her eyes back, and the whites of them forward. She fell slack to the floor, a thick, veiling fog covering her eyes. Her arm might have been broken, seeing that it was frozen in such a macabre position, but her mental strain was too extreme for her to begin to take note of her physical state.

Maze's nonchalant expression altered itself immediately when his young companion flew out of the water at high speed and rammed head-first into the wall above her, then slammed back down to the ground, lifeless. The sight was enough to traumatize anyone with an ounce of a heart. He sheathed his weapon quickly and thrust out his palm, sending out a bright flash of swirling lightning that branched off into two bolts, each meant for the Hydra's eyes. Hitting the targets worked smoothly, the eyes burst apart, freeing the juice trapped within its swollen prison. A bonus being that the lightning worked its way through to the creature's brain, frying it and killing it instantly. Not troubling himself with double checking the creature, Maze hurried to the fallen girl, his mindset that she wasn't dead, not yet. Maze pried his eyes away from the dead Hydras and steadily laid them on Will. Automatically, he healed her, hopeful that the nasty gash pouring black blood on the side of her head didn't cause too much brain damage; she couldn't afford to lose anymore brain cells in his opinion. The next thing that caused his lips to twist in vile repulsion was the way her arm was winded. His brow knitted with evident anxiety, his mind focused on snapping the arm back into place.

"Ouch!" Will's body jerked up, her eyes wide with surprise to the unbearable pain. Maze took the opportunity to heal the arm, and turn away, making like he'd done nothing. Hissing, she clutched her arm to her body dearly, moving into a standing position, using the railing for support.

"Help me with the spell, just repeat after me." Maze brought two of his hands up in front of him, centimeters away from the ruby glow of the barrier.

"Why would I help you?" A confused expression plastered itself on Will's face at the man requesting help before her.

"What?" he turned, his eyes distant with weary, in no mood for her teenage attitude.

"I don't even know who you…or who I am…."

She'd hit her head harder than he thought.

"No! No!" All thoughts of removing the barrier faded from his system, refocusing on the blank child in front of him. "You're Will!" He moved closer to her, she stepped back, groping for the railing. "I'm Maze." Tone softening, in no way was he able to disguise the concern taking over his frantic words. Had she forgotten? Everything? A maelstrom of thoughts slammed him all at once, painful really.

"I'm sorry, I don't…" The girl swallowed, wringing her green will-user robes in thought.

"Y-You're annoying!" He didn't care how insane he came off, he grabbed her petite shoulders and shook her, "You're inconsiderate!" Another shake, harder this time, "You torture me! You make my life miserable every single day!" One final shake and he roughly let go, pushing her against the railing. In disbelief at how hard his voice trembled, he turned his face from her, hesitating at his next choice of words, "But I care about you anyways." How could she have forgotten? The condition may not have been permanent, just a momentary lapse of memory from the fall. That's what he would've liked to think. Maze had never thought of it before, but how would things change if Will was really gone. Not gone, like his petty thoughts of throwing her into a pit of starving beasts, but really…gone.

"Wow, Maze." Abruptly, he tensed. A familiar sarcastic voice had realigned itself in Will's speech. "I make it miserable _every_ single day?" The maroon shoulders of his robes shifted uncomfortably, suddenly wishing that the girl really had lost her memory. He now had half a mind to make it so, dunk her thick little head into the water for an hour or two. Waves of relief and fury went hand in hand, twisting his insides to compressed states. In the many years of their awkward partnership, few times had Will witnessed turbulent emotions openly expressed by her reticent and controlled friend, who prized sense and reason above everything. Vulnerability and desperation weren't ever shown. She would forever remember this little desperate moment which reaffirmed she held a place in the heart of her undemonstrative companion.

"Help me with the barrier." Maze's customary voice, cool and stoic as it always was, returned faster than imaginable; he went straight to work on removing the force field. Through the dust that drifted from the corroded, stagnant room, Will approached her colleague, uncertainty delaying her movements. Without much more dispute, Will and Maze worked silently to disassemble the barricade; the only thing that stood between them and fresh, odor-free, air, unless they found bandits outside. Will didn't expect in the slightest to get that kind of response from Maze, though she knew her superior acting skills were believable, after using them countless times to swindle naïve traders. Today was opposite day, wasn't it? While reciting the unnaturally long spell, enunciating the consonants was convoluted, but she was believably making an effort at the endeavor, Ciel crossed her mind. If they had not come here for him, who had they come here for? What was the yelling about? So many questions packed her inflamed brain, they'd soon be leaking out of her ears if they weren't freed, but Will, still hushed by Maze's outburst, sighed at the desertion of red from the entry.

Glad to be absent from the musty, grimy prison, Will found her tower balcony to be a much better alternative. Though, she had to fix her method of getting there, winding stairs were laborious to climb, and free-climbing the side of the tower was plain ludicrous. "Lame exercise…" At the top, the girl panted like an asthmatic dog on a hot day, supporting herself on the stone arch. "The things people do to have a moment for themselves." Her hand wasn't enough to support her weight, so her small arm bent to rest its elbow on the stone. Over-exaggerated wheezing was a tactic that worked on everyone except Maze, he could always discern when she was faking to get out of training, and when she was really dying…excluding today. One way or another, dramatic wheezing helped calm down her heart rate faster than deep, slow breaths.

"Don't die now." By chance, a huge ball of spit rolled itself down the incorrect opening, causing coughing and choking in Will's division. Maze sat with his back turned to her, remaining serene through Will's endless quantity of unwanted spit ejection. In a tavern, she would've drawn a good amount of eyes.

"Karma is going to get you for that." Half crawling, the younger hero sat down, still humming a few closed-mouth coughs, ridding herself of the disobedient spit projectiles caught in her throat. Sadly, they ended up on credulous apprentices below, bushed from hours of nonstop dummy beating and last minute cramming. A few tried to search for the culprit, but Will exploited the tower's circumferential dress well.

"Oh, I'll live." Deep blue eyes stared off into the horizon, fidgeting with his green glove, pulling it up dismissively. Dancing lights of orange and yellow played on his face and snow white hair.

"I know, you're too damn pompous to die." A half smile formed on Maze's face, but distinguished at her next words. "You promised to tell me about my Mom." No response. "You know, Ciel's mother was famous, Scarlet Robe or something." Maze inhaled air through his nose, his glove returned between his index finger and thumb.

"Resa was a close friend of mine," What came after that was the beginning of words, but not the end. None made a proper sentence, nay, a proper word.

"Why was she killed?" Might as well help him along. A vivid memory streaked her mind, causing her to flinch, swatting them away instantaneously.

"There is a technique in Albion that will only work on few select people." A few white strands of hair pestered Maze's brow. "It's quite complicated." His words now flowed more smoothly than before. Not a good thing, the only time he sounded like this was when he was teaching or instructing Will on something. And whenever Maze did instructing or teaching of any sort, Will slept, and what a good sleep it always attested to be. "Certain people have a power in them, and the only way to activate it, rather… steal it, is to kill them." Will's body snapped into attention, there would be no drifting off during this lesson. "The person can chose who- they- The caster can-," Dust flew up when Maze's hand dropped on their seat. Lightly, the male pressed the tips of his fingers to the blue will-lines on his face. "One may choose to give up their will-power for another, become one with that person in everything. Ultimately, wiping them from everyone's memory."

"Who would do that?" A scoff of disbelief, who in their right mind would give up so much power?

"Your father." Will froze. "Do you remember your father Will? At all?"

"No."

"Neither do I." From his face, he seemed to want to explain further, "Another way is to take it by force."

"My mother wasn't the one he was looking for." All she needed to confirm was that, already a ball of guilt replaced the ball of spit in her throat.

"No." Their bodies appeared nothing more than dark blurs, shadows smeared across the tower wall from the fading sun. "Your will-power, Will." A subject change was in order, Will wasn't used to feeling guilt, she wasn't ready for this subject as she had thought.

"What was she like?" With a bit of luck, Maze might go along.

"Resa? Well, she was strong, as stubborn as you, maybe worse, and a well-known hero." Will bit her lower lip in contemplation. The way he spoke of her mother wasn't the way one would describe another person. It sounded more the way you would illustrate a hero or someone worth boasting about. Doubtless it was because he was so into it.

"Is that why you loved her?" It was a badly cast line, but today was a day for gullible fish.

"I- What? Will!" The intensity of his voice made her jump, her face twisting with revelation. "That would be highly improper!" Score another for Will. Sputtering, the man stood and receded into the darkness of the tower. The girl's face solidified into an open mouthed exclamation, two rows of perfect white teeth thrown on display. She then shut them and pulled her lips into her mouth, pursing the skin above it together in a muffled hoot of laughter. Today was a day for uncovering all kinds of fascinating essentials about her wonderful mentor.

"You're going soft old man!"

_Discover all the things you fail to see...  
All the things you longed to be..._

Thanks for reading.


	14. Damn Hormones

So, I started out REALLY SRSLY SRS with this chapter, but then I started talking to my friend on aim about the FF, then she started to go on about how Will has no love life. (Quite particularly, I like that, I hate writing romances) After that, it got late, about 3 a.m. to be precise. SO THEN, things got really bad and right in the middle of the chapter I started writing things I usually wouldn't write. Egh, ew. I hope you're happy Jamie. Yeah, if you all would prefer to not read any of my 3 a.m. nonsensities, read about halfway through then STOP. Oh, wait, unless you want to read another awkward Maze-Will thing at the bottom, then be my guest.

HyperactivelySedated: Oh, gawd, yes, it's on Photobucket. Yes, VERY IMPORTANT MY DEAR. Yeah, I suppose, seeing she is so constantly useless, I decided "EH, why not? ONE HIT K.O!" You know what…_it is magic._

Megan Rico: Sure, there is the problem that I don't have your email though. Dx

ItoeFujiwara: AHAHA! I found you on Deviantart! Yeah, once again, I was a liiiitttle off that night when I did the doll escapade. Urgh, I was pretty much writhing on the floor having a mini-spasm when Maze was dying. Though, I do have a suitable ending.

Jamie: You need to stop backseat author-ing. I produce junk like this. JK ilu. Just to make up for this chapter, I'm posting up two in one day.

Enjoy

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Chapter Fourteen

_Everyone becomes alone someday living on only in memories  
So that I can love and laugh even in loneliness I will fight  
I will show no tears_

There were many different places in Albion, taking into account the darker crevices of the land where thieves and low-life bandits lurked. Footsteps echoed loudly in the cavernous hallway leading to who knows what. In the distance were a few torch lights to guide a traveler along. Maze walked silently and with purpose to his destination, eyes forward, chin up. His eyes were weary, growing more and more dark circles with each passing day. It was difficult for one to not trip in their pitch black surroundings, but Maze knew this path well, but didn't fathom that he'd have to trek it once more. The boy was his last hope and now that plan had been shattered by his untimely capture. To think, years of effort all wasted in a few measly hours. It just went to show that what he had been taught all of his life was confirmed; no one was strong enough to defeat Jack of Blades.

With each step, the sound became softer, less sure, hesitant to no end. Less and less he'd been taking these particular quests, but here he was again.

"I knew I'd be seeing you soon." A mocking voice slithered through the darkness. Maze remained still, neither worried nor frightened by the sound that people would have quivered and fallen to their knees at. A single strand of light streaked across the floor, but Maze and the voice remained in the shadows. "I trust you had fun with my serpents?" He hid a menacing chuckle in his voice, full of amusement. No response came from the Mage as he stood, still as a statue, waiting for the man to finish his snide remarks that he thought were all too entertaining. He'd always learned to act calm and never give the other individual the satisfaction of being able to tip him off his chair. The streak of light on the floor became occupied by a figure cloaked completely in red, its hood pulled low over a white porcelain mask. His arms were enclosed in metal gloves, his metal fingers sharp enough to cut flesh. "You know better than to speak to me in such a way." The demonic voice from behind the mask was referring to Bargate prison, just a while ago. Sneering under the pure white mask, Jack brought a metal claw to tap against the lower portion of his mask thoughtfully. "That girl, who was with you." Maze felt an unexpected temperature rise in his blood. "Her will-energy is strong, stronger than yours." Though he couldn't see it, Maze could feel a plan brewing in the man's twisted head.

"Leave her Jack, she's useless." Fumbling for a way to redirect Jack's attention, he took to discrediting her ability.

"Silence." The demon growled. "Who is she? What is her name?" he whispered darkly.

"No Jack, she doesn't know anything." Any emotion in Jack's voice was usually accompanied with amusement, including the surprise he felt in the raising of the wizard's voice.

"Oh my, Maze." Jack chortled to himself "Defensive, are we?" Toying with people was another pastime that he loved dearly. "You understand that she will suffer as well." Taking joy in the tightening of Maze's fist, Jack narrowed his eyes under the mask and began pacing slowly in the light. "I suppose if you don't disappoint me again, I'll spare her."

"We still must find the sister." Maze diverted from their current subject, not desiring any unwanted emotions to compromise the true quest.

"Indeed, I have the boy _and _his mother in custody." His mind refocused on the task. "Your mission is to find the girl and bring her to me by any means." Jack interlaced his fingers with a metallic clank, "Don't get distracted." Lowering his voice for more effect, he waited for the man's reply.

"I won't fail." Was his only reply before the two departed.

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A blue swirl of light fell away and left Maze standing in its place in the middle of the bridge leading to the training dummies.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Was what he was greeted with after coming back. Heaving a sigh, Maze strode slowly to where the crowd of where Guild apprentices were gathered. They could have been tearing each other limb from limb and he couldn't have cared less, more pressing matters were hurting his head. The crowd of apprentices parted easily when Maze came by. In the center of the circle were two people, one apprentice pinned to the ground and another, all too familiar, situated on top of them. Clearly, the one on top was winning, judging by the non-repairable broken nose, purple bruise spots, and lack of movement on the bottom opponent's part.

"Will!" As usual, the word spoken by that person went in one ear and swooped out the other like a little sparrow.

"Wulla' hella' you tall allout!" Great, the girl was drunk. Ever since the teen had looked legal enough to drink, she'd been thrown out of numerous taverns for causing a ruckus. Will wasn't a person who could hold her alcohol either, one sip and it was off to dancing with unicorns for her. The boy under her, relieved to see Maze, felt his hopeful expression melt away as he watched the girl completely disregard Maze's call. It wasn't until he dragged her off the poor boy, kicking and screaming, her opponent scurried off like a frantic squirrel. "Serves you-." A series of blinks and twitches followed as if the girl had drastically driven her train of thought down a mountain. "Where-m, You! I need to speak to you." As confident as the words sounded, the slurring together of every consonant demolished any serious motives behind it.

"Not now." He didn't even feel a need to scold her for beating up another student…she wouldn't listen anyway. "I don't take much delight in conversing with drunken people." His pace quickened and became determined to lose her.

"No! I need you to tell me about my fadder." The girl wobbled along after the man.

"I can't explain someone I never knew." A brisk reply was given and a wave of his and to dismiss the subject.

"Bu- But you said…" Her words were cut short by a pillar to the face. Maze stopped, his back remained to her and his mouth tugged into a deep frown.

"It's only a theory that your father used the spell Will," He shifted uncomfortably, "I wouldn't know, but somewhere in the darkest corner of my mind, I remember him." Voice trailing off, the two fell into silence.

"What makes you think I even had a Dad?" Will rubbed her head.

"Do we need to have the talk again?"

"Please, no." Her feet were functioning again and her motor skills were slowly coming back.

"I only know that they leave traces of their old life behind."

"What did my Dad leave behind?"

"Well, you, for one. Other things, I wouldn't know."

"Can you try to remember?" Words coming out less slurred, Maze listened.

"It's… complicated." Eyes flying to the horizon, Maze leaned against the bridge railing, grasping his wrist with his opposite hand.

"Can't be as hard as your training exercises." Commented Will with a light grumble. She kicked her boot grudgingly into the ground remembering all of the rigorous activity he put her through.

"Stop complaining Will, I did warn you. It wasn't that hard either." The last sentence of his statement produced an overdramatic jump from his younger companion.

"What?" Maze didn't move, keeping his eyes still and trained on the girl, "You summon Hobbes, Scorpions, and Wasps on me, and expect me to smack them with a stick?" It was true, when Will had received a new weapon, being a stick; Maze had summoned monsters on her in the woods, expecting her to rid the forest of them. One more thing, any use of will-power was forbidden; the only thing she was good at was prohibited.

"That was nothing compared to what I faced." No change of pitch or tone in his voice, just a flat reply.

"I almost died several times!"

"As did I." Again, a calm response. Will narrowed her eyes suspiciously and rubbed her cheek thoughtfully.

"Who trained you?" Was it the Guild? Who was the leader before Maze? He had told her during a lesson, but she didn't listen.

"That is not of your concern."

"Bu- But, I want to know."

Panged sharply by memories of his past that perforated his brain, Maze turned sharply to face his former student. "Nothing. Don't bring it up again."

"Can't we ever have a friendly conversation?" Will glowered, meaning that one of them didn't start yelling.

"No, I suppose not."

"AUGH, I hate old people."

Muttering angrily to no one but herself, Will crossed her arms and headed for the town, leaving Maze to his own thoughts; he was always moody. That and her short temper were not a good combination.

Oakvale had its own distinct smell of crushed flowers, mixed gently with a touch of animal droppings, sprinkled harshly with sea salt. Children ran aimlessly around the town, boys with wooden swords in their hands and young girls with hand-woven dolls. They circled Will, hardly even noticing her in their whirlwind of imagination. In their head, she could've been a tall tower housing a king, or a monster coming to destroy the town. The extent of their imagination was endless. What took Will's attention was not the joyful clamoring of the kids, but the smashed cargo sitting on the dock. Dozens of boxes were crushed and ravaged through, wooden splinters sticking out in all directions and no perpetrators in sight. Three guards and a very disconcerted worker stood over the wreckage when Will approached.

"What happened here?" Her yell startled everyone, including the poor dock worker who knew he wasn't going to be paid suitably today. The guards were clearly vexed by her interest in the trampled crates, they themselves thinking that she was responsible.

"Y-You didn't do this?" A deep, rough, but confused voice came from the largest guard who brought his hand to scratch the back of his shaved head.

"No! I'm outraged." From under their blue caps, the guards exchanged bewildered stares.

"Then—.."

"Someone beat me to it!" An abrupt clout to the head by one of the guards caused Will to lurch forward. Though she didn't need it, two hands grasped her shoulders to steady her fall. "Don't touch me." An automatic response that got rid of the hands.

"Sorry. What happened here?" Will looked up into light brown eyes belonging to a young boy who didn't look much older than her…well… technically. His quartz-white skin that shimmered in the sun would be considered unnatural. Surrounding it, was wavy brown hair that curved softly upwards at his ears.

"Someone broke these crates…but, it wasn't me." The boy's red lips curved up deviously.

"I know, I did." Most people in Oakvale had a thick, harsh sounding, cockney accent, but this boy had a much softer, sophisticated touch to his tone, almost mocking. Smirk still planted stubbornly on his face, he didn't protest when Will slammed him into the jagged cliff wall behind him.

"Who do you think you are?" Hands knotted around the collar of his brown vest, Will growled. His large puffy white sleeves blew with the wind. Oh how she wished she could slap that smile off his face.

"Siddic Mason, at your service." Seeing the position he was in, "Oh, my dear, not here." Blushing red, Will pushed off him with every intention of walking away. "My apologies, would you be interested in dumping pounds of gutted fish into the tavern?" Not an offer Will would decline.

Waitress, guests, bards, drunks, all held their noses and cleared the premises in a gasping frenzy to evade the horrid smell poking at their noses. Two teens ran side by side on the beach, laughing and giggling at the reactions of the townspeople. Will imitated one of their looks, following with a hoot of laughter. This was proving to be an interesting day. "I admit, that was fun." Will dropped down in the sand, just close enough to dip her toes into the water. Removing her boots, she spoke, "I've never seen you around." Siddic sat down gracefully next to her, rubbing the winding black lines on his arm; strange tattoos. The brown belt around his waist was large and went loosely around his waist twice. Kind of defeats the purpose of a belt, but it held his single sword.

"Pirates don't stay in one place too long." Her grip tightened on her boots.

"You're a pirate?" Immediately becoming more alert and untrusting of the new-comer, Will eyed him suspiciously.

"Yes, darling you didn't know?" Siddic replied, "I've seen you around for a while. Long enough to know that you can fight." Will nodded in agreement. "So, how about it?" Faster than imaginable, the pirate was up with his sword drawn. "I challenge you." The hero drew her swords and held them in front of her defensively.

"You know, we're not supposed to have weapons out in a town." She tried, it wasn't a rule she cared for, but maybe he did.

"Ah yes, but do you care?"

"No, not really."

The unlikely pair sparred late into the day, sword on sword and sometimes when the other got desperate or was just trying to be funny, they dropped their weapon and did some good old fashioned wrestling. Holding off a block from Siddic, Will dug her feet into the sand for balance, "You seen too refined to be a pirate." She pushed him off and whirled, building up strength for her next strike. Siddic, though outnumbered sword-wise, handled his single blade with skill, tilting his arm backwards in a block that held off both of her blades at the same time.

"I was a stowaway." He admitted flicking her blades off with ease, "I wasn't born into a life of piracy." Stepping back with superior form, the male twirled his sword challengingly. "I was trained to fight before." He added to his fact by lowering himself and charging forward.

"Ah." Will took one step to the left, ducked under his attacking arm and hit him hard in the back with the hilt of her sword. Surprised, he fell forward into the sand. "Come on pretty boy." His answer was a quick swipe of his blade, knocking the will-user off her feet and onto her back. Hastily, Siddic threw himself over her and unsheathed a dagger, pressing it to the hero's neck.

"I'm also skilled with a dagger." Will didn't know why she hadn't castrated him yet. Eventually, the two sat up, Will clearing her throat. Though it had only been a day, the girl felt a strange connection with the pirate. Embarrassed with her own thoughts, she bit her lower lip. Will was pulled out of the trance by a dagger flying past her face and into a wooden plank next to her ear.

"Hey!" Not very fond of the pirate's untrusting actions, Will yanked the blade out and chucked it at Siddic crossly, getting only a chuckle from him as he picked the blade up and dusted the sand from it; she missed.

"Ever seen a pirate ship?" Will's eyes lit up with fascination as she shook her head vigorously. She had seen small merchant ships, sail boat, and a raft she'd made years ago, but seldom laid eyes on a real pirate ship. "Well now." Siddic sheathed his sword and held out his hand to her. After a moment's hesitation, she took it, feeling his scars and calluses against her soft hands, usually shielded by gloves. Silently, he led her behind the rocks, past all prying eyes, to a deserted end of the beach. After lifting Will over a mound of jagged stones, he placed her down on soft white sand. Her legs felt funny, as when a part of ones body falls asleep and is jabbed by invisible needles. Why the hell was she here, she didn't like the guy, for all she knew; he could've stuffed her in a box and shipped her off to Samarkand. Twice he's almost killed her and here she was following him to a secluded area where no one could hear her scream. At the opportune moment, all she had to do was unsheathe her swords and stab him multiple times, yes, that would give her immense satisfaction. "There it is." His proud voice was directed at the massive ship before her.

"Wow." Was her amused whisper, as if speaking any louder would scare the spectacle away. The ship was larger than any merchant ship she'd seen docking in Oakvale or Hook Coast. Distant shouts of orders filled the air, harsh and cruel. Siddic took pleasure in the girl's gawking. Ropes fell from the ship, so many ropes that Will didn't know what to make of them all. The wood of the ship was dark and thick. At the front of the ship was a carving of a woman, her face stuck in serene peace, hands folded across her chest, leading the ship onwards. Sails tucked and pulled in; a plank was lowered to the sandy ground, occupied by men carrying barrels and precious cargo onto the ship.

Something then happened that caused her eyes to grow even wider. The plank was pulled up, more orders shouted. From those orders, the sails flew out; the ship was leaving for another voyage. A large metal anchor, coated in seaweed and muck, emerged from the water and was heaved into the ship. Never had Will seen something so magnificent, breathtaking. The salty scent of the sea pleasantly stung Will's eyes and nose. A scratchy feeling struck the side of Will's face, making her hiss. Siddic's hand grasped onto it and held on tightly. "I'll see you hero." Caught off guard by his sudden goodbye, Will stuttered.

"Wait, you're leaving?" The sun was already kissing the horizon, signifying that night was near and soon the moon would come out to play. "Are you coming back?" From what she'd heard, pirates moved often until they had enough riches to settle down and quietly live out the rest of their lives in luxury, unless they die first.

"Maybe." He swung forward on the rope towards Will and pushed his lips lightly against hers. Distraught and eyes wide open, Will went frantic, what were you supposed to do during a kiss? No one had ever told her, damn you Maze, DAMN YOU. In that single kiss, Will felt the tingles of warmth scuttle and spread through every detail of her form, inserting into crevices she never believed existed. Lazily, stuck in a trance, Will's resisting eyelids fell, submitting to the power of a single, first kiss. She welcomed the lingering scent of the ocean into her body, flooding, then overflowing. How does one describe a first kiss? Numerous questions are answered and cornucopias of feelings emerge from within. Siddic's dry lips imprinted an indescribable mark on Will's soft lips and remained until the ship departed and all through Will's blind walk back to the Guild.

It wasn't until she was standing on the bridge she'd been on this morning, she managed to function properly, "What the hell was that?" He was a pirate; of course he would kiss her and then leave.

The fire glowed brightly in Maze's room upon her entering, still wide eyed and awe-stricken. Staring out the window was the old mage, he knew she was there, but never really acknowledged her presence, sometimes she'd just leave. He held loosely in his hand a cup with some sort of drink in it, possibly wine, Will couldn't distinguish.

"Maze?" His head turned a fraction, far enough to see her out of the corner of his eye. "What was your first kiss like?" Noticeably choking on his drink, Maze turned to look at the girl, considering her mind was lost. "You know, whenever I talk to you, it feels like I'm talking to myself."

"You're the one who always chooses to talk to me." Weird, but accurate nonetheless, people in the Guild came and went, but Maze and the Guildmaster were considered permanent residents there. Will wasn't too keen on making friends either. How could she, when everyone was trying to stay away from her?

A provable thought skittered through her head, "Have you ever kissed a girl?" The pressure of Maze's fingers on the wooden cup was enough to send it shattering like fragile glass.

"No."

"Really?"

"_No"_

"You're not lying are you?"

"NO"

"Do you remember?"

"_NO"_

The younger hero thought for a moment, "Have you kissed a boy?"

"Oh, Avo, _NO!" _Maze set his glass down lightly, feigning composure to prevent any damage to his surroundings. "Leave, now."

"It's just a question!" Not listening, the girl sat on the stairs silently pouting.

"Why do you want to know?" A realization shot him in the back, "Have you kissed someone?" He turned sharply to look at the hero lazily lounging on the steps.

"Er, why do you care?"

"Will, as long as you are under my guardianship, you'll tell me everything."

She smirked, imitating his attitude a moment ago, "No." Ha, she even sprinkled on the accent.

"You tell me and I'll tell you." Maze held back another sigh.

"I asked you first."

"Fine, it was awkward." Abruptly, he turned away avoiding the girl's gaze. His words were quick and crisp, not meant to be repeated even if someone held a sword to his throat. "Now, your turn." As proved multiple times, it was never a wise decision to take his eyes off Will because by the time he turned back around; she had already sprinted out of his room to the safe confines of hers.

_I was always walking alone, A cliff waited for me at my destination  
Even so I kept walking as proof of my strength_

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Thanks for reading. Oh, gawd, I'm such a dork.


	15. The glorious smell of wet dog

**HURP, I lied, I couldn't put this up until later, but OH WELL. Anyways, yes, I will stop writing chapters at 3 a.m. in the morning, but I swear, this isn't a 3 a.m escapade. Basically, it's a legit chapter and you may want to read it to understand the next chapter. OH! OH! Omigawd, someone finally write another Maze fanfiction, so now I can actually read it! I just felt the need to mention that. **

**HyperactivelySedated: D'aaaw, really? Thanks, as awkward as their interactions are. I must thank you for your review greatly, I never knew I could make one actually interested in what I write, seeing as this story was based solely on a whim. **

**Den of Thieves: Thanks for the review! Yeah, it was kind of strange because I was watching T.V. when I was writing this and suddenly I heard the line, 'I think we need to have the talk', so I was like "Huh, there's only one person who could've given Will 'the talk'". Lol. **

**Thanks to those who reviewed and subscribed :{D And yes, those who gave me ideas too. **

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_I was always walking alone, When I turned around everyone was far behind  
Even so I kept walking, that was what strength was  
"I'm not afraid of anything anymore," I try to whisper to myself_

Seven a.m in the morning, all was calm and still. Birds awoke and began to chirp, ready for a day of scavenging for food. In a room with no windows whatsoever, the choir of chirping was left unheard by a certain individual buried nose deep in blanket. Multitudes of noises resulted from cracking limbs under the blanket. Only one difference about this sunup was that Will was awake. Yes, an unthinkable achievement, accomplished by the least likely person in Albion. But, this girl was on a quest, she wasn't awake for her own guilty pleasure, no, her eyes were narrowed like a predator lurking in the insidious shadows. Those shadows being her beloved blanket, but it worked for a substitute. Will took a brief moment from her intense concentration to think about her dreams. An additional reason for her early rising might have been the dreams that Will denied lingered in her head; she knew how to hold a grudge, she'd have revenge for her mother's death, and her dreams wouldn't allow her to overlook it. First she'd have to do research on that whole spell concept Maze imprecisely explained, it just involved…reading. Don't get her wrong, she really did try to read at one point, they all backfired, but she tried. In the end, books were burned, fines were issued, and Maze went all conniption-y again.

The door creaked open, casting a thin line of light on the stone wall, alerting Will again. This time, she wouldn't be caught off guard, her blanket would remain on her body, and Maze would not have the pleasure of flipping her out of the bed…yet again. "Not today!" A flurry of pillows and blanket whirled through the room when a small girl leaped well across it, slamming into her intruder, who choked out a stifled 'oof'. Triumphantly, the hero dug her knee into her catch's chest, finding it to be squishier than the norm. "Maze? I think you-…" Kneading around wasn't the best way to go about the situation, "Terra?" The archer lay, unmoving on her back, even the darkness couldn't mask the burning of shyness creeping up her face. She rolled off, embarrassment taking over her features as well, "I thought you were…"

"I know." Came a gentle reply. Terra herself got into a sitting position, her brown hair a tossed mess on her head. There was a question troubling her, but she recoiled at the idea of asking it.

"Listen… Terra, I'm s- s-." Terra noted the cringing fingers and mangling facial features, apparently, this was horridly difficult. Thankfully, a few stutters in, the archer forgave her, seeing the number of effort used to say a few words. She was well acquainted with Will's lack of apologetic manners. "So- s-l – Murgh."

"Don't hurt yourself." The hilarity sketched on Will's face was payment enough, "I forgive you." Her nimble fingers then set something on Will's lap. Question ridden, Will glanced down at the orange quest card, noting the level of difficulty. She examined it, ruling she'd yet to go on a mission of this inconceivable magnitude, not even with Maze guiding her along…with a stick. While the girl was examining the card, Terra took this time to scrutinize Will's room, finding nothing that truly indicated her personality, except for the wasteland of bed covers, not a single word of reading material, and a funny drawing scratched into the wall. "Will?" Suddenly snapped from her card examination, Will raised her eyebrows in question. "What is that? On the wall." The girl got on her feet and walked to it, arm outstretched, gently running her thin fingers along the outline of the drawing. "It's a cute cat."

"It was supposed to be… a bear." Terra's fingers stopped moving, A while back, Will had been grounded. When Maze meant grounded, he was joking around. As in, the whole room was cloaked in an impenetrable force field, no one could get in and, most definitely, no one could get out. Quite furious that she had been lured in with food, Will had proceeded to attack the walls with lightning, manufacturing no product. Half mad and raving, Will used her powerful will abilities to draw animals on the walls. She'd gotten to about three until Maze came back in and screamed at her for destruction of the Guild. Now Terra was moving a finger through a single long drawing made by a streak of lightning.

"A worm?" The 'worm' had two funny squiggles at the head of it that might have been able to serve as ears.

"Wrong again." She had guessed correctly, Will just never enjoyed it when other people were right.

"Then, what is it?"

"A dog…" Referring to her before guess, "That's been in some sort of accident." Good, that would work, very nice Will; Terra was a gullible soul to begin with. The third, and most detailed drawing, was the one of Maze with an arrow through his head.

"Will… Do you trust Maze?" A question from the blue always threw her off course.

"Is that a trick question?" No, she could never trust him to bring her back food on his long escapades.

"No! Will, I'm serious."

"Could you be more specific?" A head tilt followed, "Er, is it because of that picture? Because I can explain, I was mad." Will waved her arms in front of her protectively.

A tiny slapping noise came from Terra's hand as it tapped her face and slid it down; pulling loose folds of skin with it, "Drop it, it's not important."

Speak of the devil, the crack in the door opened wider, casting a light on the dark floor, and a third individual stepped into the darkness. "My, what a pleasant surprise." The towering form of Maze stood over the two, making Will feel smaller than she already did standing next to the giant. Someone had beaten him to waking Will from her outwardly unbreakable slumber. "A good morning to the both of you." His ice blue eyes caught the orange quest card in Will's hand, "I suppose you two have plans?"

"Why don't you come with us?" No emotion was evident in Terra's voice, it was a bland invite. Will couldn't tell if she wanted him to go or not. Though, the quest card did state to bring as many heroes as feasible, indicative of many recent failures on the Guild's part for this mission. The older hero picked up the quest card, debriefing himself. After reading the details of the quest, his eyes remaining stern as ever, he handed the card back to Terra, moving to the drawing of himself being impaled with an arrow. His face twisted into one of amusement and dreadfulness, a confusing amalgamation.

"I suppose I could spare some time." Actually, there were a few reasons he wanted to go along, one of them being the scale of the mission. Will visibly felt uncomfortable, for Terra's conduct had shifted entirely once Maze entered the room. Every word she said was mixed with meticulous caution, similar to the way one would act at a sacred temple. But, defiance was thrown into the batch to confuse Will as well. It's always the shy ones, isn't it? "I'll be outside." Will then advanced to dress herself, starting with her lower half. Messily, she threw her clothes onto her bed; they'd be taken care of later. Terra, still engaged in the dog that had been in some kind of accident, paid no attention to Will making a mess, refraining from following her, picking up her clothes, and folding them into a neat little pile next to her bed. Will didn't care; it wasn't taking advantage of someone if they volunteered to do it. Wiggling her fingers into each appropriate space for them in her gloves, Will mused over the quest the three were to go on. She didn't even know that the place existed, but well, she didn't know that the strange rock from a while ago existed either. This place, in particular, was just near Knothole Glade; a man had been doing research on a cure for Balverines or something. Will didn't understand, wasn't that a good thing? Her boots stood like little soldiers at the foot of her bed, leathery to the feel. Will slipped her feet into them and wiggled her toes around, getting the familiar feel.

"Let's go."

Knothole Glade, the place was always pouring rain, no matter what season. Also, it was _always _infested with an unbelievable amount of Balverines, so what do you get when you mix the two together? Two words: Wet Dog; Will's favorite smell. Her hair was down and the rain was already soaking past the thick tangled mess of hair, sliding down her neck. There would be no surprise if a cold came from this little journey she was on, wedged between Maze and Terra. Because of all the Balverines lurking about, Knothole Glade was enclosed by a large wooden wall, with a guard watching at all times, prepped with a horn to signal any irregular movement of the wolf-like creatures. The three stood in front of the wooden entrance, built from sturdy tree branches tied together, of the village. At a small corner of the mammoth gate was a door, small enough to let a person through, which received harsh banging from a teen soaked entirely to the bone. Will loathed being wet, almost as much as the odor that came with it in a nice package. No answer, to the three's consternation. Maleficus' knocking had turned into a catchy, rhythmic drumming she'd picked up from the tavern's entertainment one night. Not many knew, but Will was actually quite musically talented, demonstrated by the drumming on the door, she was getting into it, bopping her head along and now using both hands to continue her song. Terra reached out a hand to stop her, amused, but if they didn't want fifty Balverines called to them by the music, it might have been best to impede it.

Too late. Seven Balverines emerged from the shadows behind them, dripping wet, from slobber or rain, they couldn't tell. The creatures hunched over, supporting themselves with their limber arms, sprouting claws powerful enough to tear a grown man's head off. Few of them had red oozing gashes from failed attempts to vanquish them. Terra was first to react, leaping as far away from them as possible and drawing her bow before Maze and Will even knew they were there...mostly Will. She cast multi arrow and shot a single arrow, branching off into three glowing ones, hot with magic, at a growling mess of fur. One hit its side; the other grazed its arm, and the third, most efficient one, dug into its eye, exploding out a yellow juice and a bloodthirsty howl before dropping dead from the arrow penetrating its pea sized brain. With that, Terra leaped farther back, aiming to assist them from afar. The six remaining ones closed in on Will and Maze, their black lips twitching hungrily above a scowl of beige teeth. The younger hero held her breath and cast multi-strike on her swords, but never got to put them into play for a wild yell came from Maze, startling her to no end.

The older hero launched himself into the pit of overgrown dogs and smashed the wet grass below him with his staff upon landing with a light grunt. A circle, large in size, formed under him and four Balverines bordering him. The circle emitted a crimson color before shooting multiple fountains of flame from it, as high as twelve feet into the sky, surrounding the caster and victims in a fiery temple, scorching every ill-fated Balverine caught in its blazing fury. They all dropped to the wet floor, sizzling from the pitter-patter of the rain landing on their blackened bodies. Maze was far from done; there was a spark of hatred in his eyes Will had not succeeded in becoming aware of before. Terra's face displayed surprise and approbation, dropping her bow loosely to her side, feeling unneeded. Multi-strike and Multi-arrow wore off and the two teens watched Maze adroitly whirl away from a Balverine's lethal attack, slicing it into two, no, four pieces. Overkill, but good overkill. The final Balverine seemed to exhibit hesitation in charging the hero, so Maze made the first move, slicing its head clean off before it had any time to react. The canine head thumped onto the grass, its black tongue pushed out through its no longer deadly fangs, running with blood.

Indecision hindering her steps, Will stepped past the bloody massacre to where her mentor stood, not a drop of physical exertion shown on his person. The sopping wet state of her own body was of little importance in her approach. Maze hadn't moved, tolerating the rain entirely dampening his hair and showering into his hate-filled eyes. "That was really scary." He didn't look at her until she placed a hand on his arm, adding with a cheery note, "But I'm feeling a lot of respect!" Her nods came in short up and down motions, causing more water to fly in many directions.

"My family was killed by Balverines." Blinking the water from her eyes, her mind suddenly shut down at the explanatory information. This was the first piece of Maze's past she'd ever learned from him. Revenge was sweet, it didn't matter that he'd tried to teach Will otherwise, it was a brilliant feeling. Will was never an expert at comforting people, whenever she did, it came out sounding inconsiderate, so the best thing to do right now was nothing. Maze moved to where the small door was once again, his steps heavy and sloshing.

"Not a very sympathetic person." Terra, equally drenched, sauntered up behind Will, weapon sheathed.

"So I've been told." Grumbled Will, following behind Maze to the small door.

A small peephole at the roof of the door slid back and was replaced by a set of eyes, sharp and attentive. Will opened her mouth to pelt the man with threats, but was cut short by the gates swinging just wide enough to let the three through.

"Chief." Maze greeted. The man nearly fell to his knees in delight; it was the great Maze, come to pull them out of their deep misery. The chief was a portly man and was not afraid to show it off, wearing nothing but a green vest to protect his body from the rain. His thrilled face, covered in tattoos curving over his entire body, and neatly tied beard, moved excitedly when giving the three instructions.

"Down there! It's a far journey, but that crazy scientist has gone too far this time." His arms moved in wild motions, trying to push out the explanation as quickly as possible. "There's not much time, he'll explain to you, just go down there! To the red house." As he said the last few words, the man was already wobbling off to a house, "Everyone's already been evacuated! Be careful!" The door slammed shut, pouring some collected rain water over the ground. Terra and Maze exchanged worried glances, realizing the best way to get information was to move to the red house a bit north of Knothole Glade.

"Something is very wrong." Terra pulled out her bow along with an arrow, ready for anything.

"There's no one in the houses." Confirming her anxiety, Maze added another fact.

"No lights or sounds."

"No civilians or guards."

"Quiet,"

"Too quiet."

"Can you two stop?" They were beginning to sound like those irritating couples in Bowerstone who went giddy at the notion of finishing each other's sentences. Avo, if there weren't any ostentatious guards around, the girl would've been parading with their heads on a stick. Noticeably, the air around them grew chillier… because of the weather or deserted state, they didn't know, but it grew colder. A small plume of transparent smoke floated from Will's small mouth, disappearing with no heat to keep it so. The unremitting tears of the sky had altered into thicker, slower drops, known as snow. "Where are we?" They had walked so far, it had begun to snow where they were, reminding Will of the variations of snowfall at Hook Coast, her childhood home. Sticking out her pink tongue from the confines of her mouth idly, a white twinkle of snow landed on her tongue, moistening it. Continuing the quest they'd undertook, Will pulled her mind away from home and trailed after Maze and Terra. The trio stood in a snow covered area and what looked like an abandoned part of Knothole Glade. Homes were lined up, but the state of these homes looked much older than, not as sturdy as, the ones in the main central of Knothole Glade.

Snow crunched loudly under their heavy boots, creating deep imprints upon the white blanket. Unexpectedly, Terra stopped walking, "I hear something inside this house." The other two had advanced ahead, but stopped in hearing her small voice.

"The Chief said they evacuated everyone." Maze's blue eyes blended with the icicles dripping from the abandoned ceilings. His words were proved very wrong, when the door of the house burst open, hitting the wall behind it. Two arms shot out from the darkness, one clasping over Terra's mouth and the other around her middle, pulling her in like a silent killer, slamming the door shut. From the appendages, Maze knew they were human, but friend or enemy would be determined in moments. Three things happened at once; an anonymous kidnapper had pulled Terra into some sort of house-like structure, the heroes now knew that the entire town hadn't been evacuated, and a distant cry for help was heard. "Will, go find out what that was, I'll get Terra."

"Yeah, yeah." If Terra had been grabbed by another ghostly life-form, she didn't want to deal with it. A cry for help suited her much better, even if it was in a different location. Maze ran into the house, weapon drawn. The door creaked shut behind him. Once Will heard the click, she was off, wondering what everyone was so frightened of. Problems Knothole Glade encountered were usually based on Balverines, Balverines, and more bloody Balverines. "Hm." The sound had come from between two broken-shingled houses, if memory served her right. "Show yourself!" Will held one blade across her body and the other pointed in the direction she was headed.

"It hurts." A voice whimpered from between the houses. The teen peered around the fractured corner to find a man clutching his shoulder, leaning heavily on a convenient boulder. "Oh! Hero!" Nearly going limp with relief, he hobbled towards her, pain slowing his every move. "Maleficus? I know you!"

"Yes, yes, don't we all!" Roaring, the man fell back, landing hard on his back.

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Maze slid along the walls of the stairs leading down to where Terra was being held. He didn't like the idea of leaving Will outside by herself. Stealthily, he moved crouched over, glad for the assistance of the dark, waiting for some sort of movement by Terra's kidnapper. There! The will-user glided forth, pushing the culprit against a wall, holding his weapon against the man's neck threateningly. "No! Please d-dun hurt me!" The pressure on his neck ceased, Maze's mouth pulled into a frown. Will might have actually been right, maybe he was slipping. A noise caused him to turn, a sneeze to be exact. His eyes widened; in the room sat seven people, all scared and trembling, among them was a young brown-haired girl, Terra. Moments later, they recognized him to be the great Hero Maze, swarming him.

"Are you here to save us?" One woman almost shrieked.

"They all did! Look what happened to them!" A more cynical one interrupted.

"Quiet! They'll hear us!" Another voice peaked Maze's curiosity of who 'they' were.

In one corner was an old woman holding on to a little girl no more than eight years old, her blonde hair pulled back into pigtails. Another looked like a couple, the man stoking his wife's hair, her body racked with loud sobs of loss. All of the others looked as worn and broken as the rest of them. The man Maze nearly killed moved to sit with them, huddling for a bit body warmth. Terra was sitting down next to a man with his head in his hands, crying and praying at the same time. From his clothes, Maze knew he was a scientist and went to sit down next to him as well. "I didn't mean it!" His words became clearer since Maze was next to him, "I just wanted it all to end."

"What do you mean?" Terra tried comforting the man; it was her forte after all. That whole sympathetic, I-know-how-you-feel, bit.

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"Whoah, easy." Poor guy, he looked terrible, and sad he had such a huge homely snout. Strange, he didn't have a snout like that before, Will knelt over to help him up, seeing the festering and putrefied wound. "Oh, ew."

"Is it bad?" Will jumped, thinking that it was Maze who had spoken. Earlier, the man's voice had been high and frantic, now it had significantly deepened and his teeth…..

"Uh, buh…" She helped him up, but glued her eyes to the teeth, much too large for the man's mouth to contain, jutting out past his chin. "How long have you been like this?" This only meant one thing, he'd been infected; bitten by a Balverine, a venom now coursing through his delicate veins, now he'd become just like the rest of them, feeding on human flesh such as hers without a touch of guilt or conscience.

"An hour, maybe two." Curious, the transformation didn't take this long, did it? Will never really experienced the transformation first-hand, and she never really intended to do so. Feeling a bit more panicky, Will backed away from the man.

"I thought I'd created a serum that could cure those who had been transformed into Balverines." Finally, the man lifted his face. He reminded Terra much of the archaeologist, with his pointed nose and sharp features. A pair of broken, tear stained, spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose. "It was going so well. Families were reunited, tears of joy." The scientist's bony fingers were trembling again at the climax of his story, "Something went very wrong." Cringing, he pushed his fingers into his temples, creasing the sides of his bald head.

"What happened?" An image of Will flashed into Maze's head, "Where is everyone!" Trying to use hushed tones was becoming harder and harder.

"Everyone was so thankful for the antidote; they began taking it as a vaccine, of course, not everyone." He raised his blurred eyes to the survivors scattered in the room. Maze was losing his well-kept patience.

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"What, what's wrong?" The wounded man took a long gander at his hands, which had now sprouted into obsidian black claws, bigger than that of a Balverine's. But if he wasn't transforming into a Balverine, then what was this whole she-bang? His tan leather shoes tore as his body structure transformed indefinitely, his spine shifted from human to canine, giving off a hideous cracking. Letting out a bloodthirsty howl and dropping to all fours, the creature shook its mane. What Will had before her could not have been a Balverine; the thing was three times bigger than that of a normal Balverine. Compared to a normal Balverine, that was skinny, limber, and looked like a starved dog; this one took on a whole different body shape. An intensely thick coat of fur grew over the body, spreading over the exceedingly muscular arms and legs. They were so muscular; Will swore she saw veins popping out from beneath the substantial coat. Its face was a nightmarish contortion of teeth and saliva. The famous White Balverine had nothing on this guy, who must have towered over the fierce White Balverine, thinking it were a child. Awed by it's size and musculature, Will, oddly, felt that she was in no immediate danger, moving closer to the steroid overdosed Balverine.

"Um…sir?" Its brown, broad shoulders were hunched, its eyes downward at the red-stained snow. When it did look up, Will was hit with something she didn't feel when looking upon a Balverine; pity and fear. Pleading eyes travelled over her body, praying for her to do something.

"They've become larger, much stronger, and faster." Barely able to choke out the words, the scientist had to pause for a couple breaths. The two heroes looked at each other, flickers of worry for their fellow hero still wandering around outside.

"Like the White Balverine?" Ciel had become famous for slaying the White Balverine and defeating many in the Arena, Will could handle that? Terra hoped he would answer her question with agreement.

"No!" His head was back in his hands, "Million times worse." He repeated those three words many times, until it echoed through the soft walls of their brains. They didn't need another word, Maze and Terra raced for the door to the only safe hideout. "Wait! There's one more thing!" His warning went unheard and was answered by a door slamming in the distance.

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Will gulped, tightening her grip on her twin blades, his claws alone were almost the same size as her Master Long swords. For right now, the mutated Balverine had no intention of harming her, whimpering the way he was in a puddle of his own blood. Because of that, Will moved towards it, wondering if it was domestic. Strange, since, the fierce Balverines were tiny compared to this monstrosity. "Will!" Terra's voice echoed across the slopes causing the Balvorn-resembling creature to perk its ears up. Her body turned, forgetting about the monster before her for a moment. "Look out!" She turned back to find hot breath on her face and teeth ready to tear her open. Yelping, Will fell back pushing her swords into the creatures stomach; they were silver augmented, one hundred percent guarantee Balverine slaying. The blades made contact, but didn't sever through the Balverine's tough skin. She blow she delivered could've cleanly sliced a Balverine in half. The creatures' jaws clipped the air with an outraged snap.

"Impossible." She had plunged her blades with all of her might and yet, they bounced off harmlessly. Working off a whim, Will grabbed the broken splinters of the house, climbing it as fast as possible. Silver could pierce it; she just wasn't driving it through hard enough. Will threw her swords on the roof and then her own body, feeling the steam of the Balverine's hungry mouth nip at her boots. Picking up her swords, she decided to try a move Maze taught her a couple years back. Granted, she'd fallen out of a tree and had to be carried by him back to the Guild, wheezing and coughing, but that was a long time ago. Holding her swords straight above her, Will leaped, positioning her body so that it pointed to the ground like a torpedo, directly above the growling Balverine. The momentum gathered from her nosedive had to be enough to penetrate that thing's tough skin. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The sword landed, scratching it, but not harming it to an impairing extent. The Balverine grabbed her with its enormous paws by one of her speeding swords, stopping her rapid downward descent. Fate wasn't too unkind, a single claw chipped off from the Balverine, landing on the snow. "Ha!" In the distraction, Will sent another undamaging swing, dropping from its grasp, picking up the small sword-sized claw and racing to where Maze and Terra were. "Run!"

Maze brought her to a quick halt, "Quick, get into that hut over there!" Will glared up at him, demanding details.

"Silver augments don't work on this thing!" It was a desperate warning, that she didn't know what he could do about it, but it was a good idea to let him know.

"Don't you think I know? I saw the whole thing." His response was calming, like a father reassuring the child that there wasn't a monster lurking in their closet.

"What are you going to do about it then!" Will constantly turned her head to check if the Balverine was headed this way.

"I-… I don't know." Well! This was a nice change for once, Maze not knowing what to do. Will was about to send out another comment, but multiple howls not far away stopped her. Pointed dog-like ears crowned from a hill, an entire gang of large, mutated Balverines appeared, teeth bared and lowly growling. There had to be around ten of them lumbering over the snowy white hill. Leading them was a Balverine, paler than the snow, superior to the other enormous brown ones crowding around it. Blood dripped from its fangs onto its thick white coat; they'd been feeding on villagers and traders who just happened to be wandering around the woods at this untimely hour. The burly white Balverine reeled, howling, standing on its hind legs as a form of addressing a challenge.

"Get inside! I'll distract them." Terra, using two slender fingers, pulled out a silver dipped arrow and strung it onto her bow. Maze hesitated, not wanting to leave her outside with these colossal creatures. "Now!" Grabbing Will firmly, he pulled her inside, paying no mind to her weak struggling. Before being pulled behind the door, Will used the last of her arm's propulsion to send the Balverine claw she'd extracted flying at the leader of the horde with a sneer. Unexpectedly it struck the white Balverine straight in the cheek, generating a murderous howl and gratis bearing of teeth. Will gasped, feeling the cold fade from her face when the door shut.

Using two fingers to guide her silver arrow, Terra drew back the drawstring to breaking point and let it rip. The arrow flew through the air, whistling past the falling snow and digging itself into a brown Balverine with a missing claw. Yowling, it plucked the arrow out like a toothpick, crushing it beneath its paws. Terra bounded past a couple more houses to get closer to the Balverines. The setting didn't provide very good cover for the archer; a long never-ending expanse of snow and houses decorating the sides of the path. Casting multi-arrow, she ran up the side of a slanted house, not even incorporating the use of her hands. Easy win, she had the higher ground. Badly hoping the old hut wouldn't cave in under her weight, she put another arrow in place, setting it off stronger than before. Five blue streaks shot through the air, all pointed for one target; the white Balverine. The arrows didn't go more than half an inch deep, penetrating, but not detrimental. To Terra, their growling was beginning to sound like mocking laughter invoked by her unproductive attempts to harm the Balverines. Every arrow sent out was crushed to the ground in humiliating defeat. Frustration overtook her as the distance between her and the pack dwindled, bringing her closer and closer to their mercy. Placing another arrow in attacking position, Terra leapt from the roof of one house to another one, older than the first. Her light armor gave her a great advantage in moving around swiftly, she'd make an excellent thief. The house she was on top of was nicely set behind the Balverines, so she could have time to make the perfect shot from here.

"Come and get me." She muttered under her breath, shooting another flurry of arrows at the raging leader from behind. The Balverine complied, springing with little to no effort onto the roof next to Terra. A creak and a groan came from the old house as the roof shattered, raining wood debris and shingles into the deserted house. Coughing, Terra pushed wildly with her arms, blinded by dust and wood shavings, but making her one objective to get away from the thing with gnashing teeth the size of her arrows. Terra slid deep under the collapsed segment of the home, wedging her body behind a couch.

At one point, she asked herself what the point was, while inching farther into her hiding spot. Not letting out a noise from her movements, Terra rolled out of her hiding spot and under a fallen beam, large enough to shield her body. The archer didn't waste time; it'd be foolish to even think about using her bow, so she speedily unsheathed her dagger. Her common sense told her it wouldn't do much damage, but it was good to have some form of security. Holding her breath, she made no sudden movements, waiting for the Balverine.

After having the current problem explained to them, Will bolted back outside only to be halted mid-step by the oh-so-valiant Maze. "You heard the guy! Silver won't work!" She tried pushing him away, but he stood firmly in front of her, creating no exit.

"And just what do you plan to do, hm?" His brow tightened angrily, yelling at his rebellious companion yet again.

"Help out, somehow! Get out of my way!" Maze didn't budge from the small form slamming into his; he held his ground, even after hearing a booming crash outside.

"Since when did you grow a conscience?" The old wizard lowered his head to make eye contact with the enraged hero.

"Since now! Let me go!" Her voice darkened and her blades came unsheathed. Maze felt himself quake with bottled anger, grabbing his former apprentice by the hood of her robes, he slammed her into the wall, hard enough to break her bones. Survivors in the room watched the spectacle unfold between teacher and student; the great Hero Maze was manifestly… losing his cool. The little pig-tailed girl had pushed the palms of her minute hands against her ears, keeping the loud, upsetting noises out.

"You will stay here." Any unruffled advice in his voice had faded, replaced by a low, threatening tone. The wind knocked from Will's body hadn't returned and the moment Maze let go, her body slouched to the floor. Loud thumps from Maze's boots were the only thing heard in the tense air of the room, "She does not leave." Icy blue eyes shot the command at the man who seemed to be in charge of everyone in the room. Fearful of the consequences Maze could bring on, he nodded quickly, looking from the fallen hero, to the older one. A wave of cold air entered, chilling anyone it touched. Everyone huddled closer together to conquer the frozen attack from the snowy winds outside.

Against a black wooden wall, a girl sat, her back against the wall, head leaned forward, covered by jet black hair. Her palms lay next to her, open loosely to the ceiling. Will was trying to return the breath to her lungs and regulate her breathing patterns, slower than she wanted to, but what better thing did she have to do? If she tried to be heroic and hop out there like a rabbit with a death-wish, she'd be torn apart, but stay here and she'd consider herself a coward, nothing new actually. There was a giant difference between a coward at ones own accord and then being forced to do so. The dark green that decorated Will's will-user outfit was tugged gently by a force unknown to Will.

"You're the hero here to save us." The words weren't meant as a question or a command, but an answer, a statement of knowing. Will's eyes followed where her sleeve had been tugged to the little blonde girl in pigtails, her innocent eyes bright with hope.

"Listen, kid, I'm really not much of a hero." Will unsuccessfully pulled her sleeve away from the girl's tiny hands, making her scoot her small body closer. She wore a simple white dress, torn, but wearable. Forming on the side of her cheek was a purple and green bruise, recent in appearance, but Will decided not to start anything with the girl.

"Of course you are!" She leaned closer with excitement, Will leaned away in confusion, "You saved Oakvale from drowning, and you've killed bandits, Balverines, Hobbes, and trolls!" If Will leaned back and more, her head would've broken through the rotting walls. "I even heard you've met ghosts and killed a Kraken!"

"Obviously, someone left out all the bad parts." Chuckling, she rested a green glove on the girl's neat golden hair.

"There he goes!" Three men were crowded around a window trying to observe the action, fright and exhilaration painting their faces. Roughly, Will shoved them all away and peered through the foggy window, so crusted over with snow, it was difficult to make out any details past it. She squinted seeing Maze's form attacking the Balverines that made even a man like Maze look like nothing. Under the debris of a collapsed house, she noticed something else, Terra, it had to be, and the white Balverine smelling her out. The others were on Maze, growling and snapping their fatal jaws, hoping to take a bite out of the hero. He dodged each and every single one of them, the spectators admiring his unlimited dexterity. As vain as it was, he fought back, swinging his blade with calculative skill, none of them able to harm the thick skin of the mutated creatures. Will flattened her hand against the frosted glass as the Balverines circled him and a fire fountain flew from the ground; Maze had cast enflame again. Nothing happened, the circle got smaller.

"The idiot!" Will pulled her hand away from the glass, unable to watch Maze's defeat. "Nothing can kill them, nothing can hit them, not even silver." Her long swords still lay on the floor where Maze had left her, painfully gasping for air. "Except…them." A quick image of the claw inserting itself into Balverine skin flared in Will's mind. "I'm going to regret this." Unhooking her remaining weapons, the girl marched to where the scientist sat, still mumbling disjointedly to himself. "Where's that serum of yours?" She demanded. Confused, but cooperative, the man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a glass vial containing a green substance. The man proceeded to speak, but Will snatched the vial from his hands and moved back.

"Wha' do you think you're doin'?" Alarm spread through the room faster than a wildfire in a forest of packed trees. The three men at the window made a run for her when she popped the stopper off the top.

"I know, this looks bad!" Defensively, she capped it with her thumb to keep from spilling, pulling it away from the rampaging men, "But hear me out!" As desperate men go, they came closer. Will held out a blue glowing hand threateningly, trying a different approach "I'm warning you." They stopped, looked at each other, but estimated it best to listen to the hero with immense will-power. "Now, now there was this man outside. When he transformed, he was himself for a long time." No one said anything, beckoning her to continue, "If I can stay in control long enough, I'll kill that leader and the others will die, right?" The scientist nodded with vacillation. Why killing the leader would destroy all of the others, Will didn't know, but never look a gift horse in the mouth, it might come back to bite you in the arse.

"She'll kill us all!" A non-believer shouted, holding her husband tighter, holding in more sobs waiting to torment her frail body.

"It's either be killed by me," Will indicated to herself with her thumb, "Or them. You can't stay in here forever" Dramatically, Will thrust her arm out at the window; Maze and Terra were running out of time.

"It's suicide hero!" Another yelled.

"Yes! Thank you, I know!" The yell was returned ten fold, with sarcasm. The thin cylindrical glass container was held tightly in Will's fingers while she contemplated her rash decision. Green liquid gathered on the sides, staining it temporarily when she moved it in a circle. She pulled her thumb away, uncapping it, holding the tiny circular opening to her lips. Now she could smell the liquid and it very much resembled burning rubber. Flashing a smile at the little blonde girl still crouched by the wall, Will tilted the vial upside down, letting the green slide past the vial's opening and into her mouth. Upon contact with her tongue, Will's first urge was to spit it out and roll on the floor bawling her eyes out, but kept at it.

Hand trembling, she dropped the glass vial, hearing it shatter, along with synchronized, chorus gasps from the survivors in the room. The mixture oozed down her throat, with Will thinking it was expired milk. She didn't resist the transformation, hearing the men move away from her, she accepted it with open arms. "Do your worst." Her eyes were fastened to her face, reflected from a million angles in the broken shards of the vial. Pain came in the form of a million arrows hitting every curve of her form, rendering her unable to resist crying out and doubling over. Her body, on the floorboards, writhed and gave out sickening cracks of her bones shifting positions. Flesh split and tore, sprouting pitch black fur from beneath the tears. Clean white nails and human white hands stretched repulsively, becoming lupine. The little girl had run from her spot, stumbling and tripping to her grandma's safe arms. Covering her face with her hands, she watched through a hole between her fingers as the hero she'd spoken to moments ago cringed and clawed for something to grab onto, possibly to relieve the pain in some way. Will felt her mouth open, but heard no sound escape it, not even in the slightest, despite the barely credible fire shooting through her, about to burst, veins. Speaking of things about to burst, her head, chest and stomach fell nicely into that category. The sour taste of bile that rose in her throat was halted by her closed mouth; Will shoved it back down, ignoring the stinging sensation.

"Is she alive?" All eyes were on the unmoving form. Hands still over her eyes, the little girl slowly pulled them away from her face when Will stirred, groaning deeply. The transformation wasn't complete, but it was far enough for the girl to become unrecognizable. More gasps sounded in the room when they saw the girl's face. Her nose had been pulled back, not far, but pulled back nonetheless. What drew their attention were the two fangs that sprouted from her canine teeth, almost an inch longer than their usual size. Will had to keep her mouth hanging open to prevent the canine teeth from slicing into her lower lip. Her arms had mutated into dangerous claws, capable of murdering the whole room. All the fur that grew, swallowed her clothes, they were nowhere in sight. When she spoke, it was bass and deep. One could detect her regular voice in there, but with trouble. Being possessed by a demon was one step away from this.

"I can smell your blood." She wasn't lying, but the statement put everyone in a state of terror. Each and every person in the room had turned from a living human being into a walking blood bag. The sweet scent of blood was intoxicating, mesmerizing. Will's eyes could see past their thin skin, on to their beating hearts and blood cells traversing their feeble veins. Five claws clicked on the floor's surface, Will was moving closer to the few survivors of the town's pandemic. The villagers looked at each other; it might not have been the best initiative to allow her to ingest the potion. Now, they'd written their own fate. Will saw and heard everyone's heart pound like drums, pumping more and more blood to entice Will's hungry eye. Growling, she turned away.

"Shut the door behind me." Her last command before tearing out the door.

_Living somewhere I will someday forget the days_

_that I spent with everyone as well  
At that time I won't be strong anymore_

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Thanks so much for reading.


	16. I swore

**Hi everyone, again, I'm putting up another 'sober' chapter as my friend likes to call it. If you haven't read anything and for SOME REASON decided to go right ahead and read this chapter, you should now it's a continuation from the chapter before this. So, at least go read that first or you'll be totally lost. And don't worry rabid Fable fans, I have something in mind that will probably make you leap with glee, but later. Not saying. **

**Hyperactively Sedated: Gawd, your reviews make me so happy. I go all giddy at like seven in the morning when I get an email update from my phone. Omigoodness, I'm so awkward. Yes, I know, Will is perpetually stuck being stupid for like the rest of her abnormally long life. **

**Jamie: You need to not go on my laptop when I'm in the bathroom for a long time. Hurhur, sorry to anyone that read that. Anyways, you'll be glad to know that I've decided to add another fluffy chunk of romance in the next chapter. HAPPY? YES? You know what would have been funny, if you tried to review and was still logged into mine. Dx  
**

**On a side note. KHOA, DON'T READ THIS. Please. D: **

**EVERYONE ELSE WHO WON'T BE MEAN TO ME! Enjoy. **

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Chapter sixteen

_If I fall past oblivion that's just running away  
If only the meaning of having lived would disappear_

Heightened senses may not have been a _bad_ thing. This might have been how Terra felt half the time, with her better hearing and sensitive nerves. A pale white, faceless moon glowed in the night, illuminating all aspects of the battle. Visible in the sky were two twinkling eyes, blinking rapidly at the spectacle millions of miles below them. The night would have been perfect for shrouding oneself in complete shadow to infiltrate a camp of assassins bent on destroying all of Albion. Or, strolling through a flowery field, after a moonlit dinner with someone you love greatly and dearly, ready to protect them from any dangers lurking about behind gloomy corners. Wind added a pleasant factor to the warm air circulating through Albion. But, really, one didn't really think of these things when their internal workings were shifting into a mutated canine.

Blood would taint the snow tonight. Maze ducked left and dodged right, narrowly missing the claws of the many Balverines anticipating his demise. They were in a circle around him now, snarling and snapping their thorny jaws. Sparring and parrying with skills that put arena champions to shame, Maze kept the roaring horde of rabid canines at bay easily. With his skill and experience, he had the ability to continue all night, but everyone had their limits. He was beginning to understand how Will felt about smelly surroundings whenever they went on a quest.

Using a Balverine's shoulder, the man placed his hand on it and propelled himself over the creature to avoid being torn apart in a vindictive circle. When situated, he delivered a death blow to the Balverine's unguarded backside, one that would have destroyed any creature from the depths of the sea to the corners of Darkwood. The blade lodged itself into the mutt's side, but was as harmless as a baby's kick. From how deep the weapon had dug itself, Maze was unable to pull it back out in time. Though he tried, the blade had stuck fast and wasn't moving any time soon. His hands burned from having the handle of his weapon ripped from his grasp when the Balverine turned. Maze took two steps back, losing his weapon didn't mean anything; melee was never his strong point. A blue light crackled to life in his hands, shooting out and slamming into three Balverines at once. The snow impeding his backwards steps, Maze's powerful lightning wasn't enough to even daunt the advancing steps of the creatures. One shot, two streaks of lightning, three streaks of lightning; it was now becoming a monotonous task.

The Balverine focused on Terra had scooted away and was now taking an interest in Maze. Struck by the size and ferocity of the pack's leader, Maze almost didn't feel something slice through his back. His teeth clenched tighter, grinding, but not a sound escaped his mouth. Overwhelmed by the sweltering pain, Maze's world factually spun with houses and snow when the white Balverine struck him in the shoulder, hard enough for his body to conduct a rapid, uncontrolled three-sixty spin. Unable to control the direction, he found that the only way to stop himself was to collapse in humiliating defeat to the white snow. He looked down and saw blood blot his gloves, his blood, a rare sight, even for him. Refusing to go down without a fight, Maze inched away from the creature, left hand clutching his shoulder in a desperate attempt to buy time for his will-power to recover. It was recovering, but slowly. In the end, not fast enough. The white Balverine leaped, teeth twisted into a malicious leer, claws outstretched to their full potential; it was going directly for the kill, only wishing to bring an end to the hero Maze.

A hazy blur shot past Maze from behind him, slamming into the white Balverine, ultimately intercepting the claws of death. Startled, the old wizard inched back with his right hand, blue eyes wide with noticeable disorientation. What he witnessed before him may have never been recorded in any book in all of Albion history. Maze froze, staring at the new creature that made an appearance. A charcoal black Balverine, smaller than the snow white Balverine, stood with its back to him. Challengingly, it barked and snarled at the pack leader, who had been thrown back a good distance from its prior target. Maze shifted, wincing from the unexpected injury he had neglected to heal. The dark Balverine turned at the sound, its lips lifted in a sinister, but vengeful scowl. Ignoring its own kind for a moment, the black Balverine advanced to the fallen man, slowly, but threateningly. Each claw dug deep into the blemished snow with each spine-tingling step. The Hero didn't move… he didn't even mend the pouring jet of blood spewing from his shoulder. Hot smoke blew from the raven nostrils of the beast as it stood with its massive snout inches away from Maze's face.

"Will…" All the color flushed from Maze's face as he looked into the bright blue orbs illuminating the shadowy stature of the Balverine. His body felt cold and frozen. Slowly, his free hand reached out for the black muzzle of the former hero. Her black lips closed over her large fangs, but his gloved fingertips did not reach her muzzle for she turned on alert, ready for the Balverines, teeth shown to the roots. Seeing what they were doing, the black Balverine lowered its head, ramming it forcefully into Maze's stomach; pushing him a good ten feet back to where Terra sat on her knees in utter perplexity.

"Is that...?" Fear gripped her small frame; she kept her body low on the ground next to Maze while he healed himself. Aggrieved, he lowered his head and nodded, not meeting her eyes.

The Balverines had formed a circle around their leader and the newcomer, respectably agreeing to wait on the side until there was a winner. Circling each other in the center were two Balverines, opposite in color, clawing and scraping at the snow, focused on analyzing the other's patterns of movement. From the outside of the circle, Maze and Terra could only watch; if they interfered, so could the others, then they wouldn't stand a chance. Red and blue orbs locked themselves on each other. The white Balverine, impatient with the waiting, boosted itself forward on its hind legs, much similar to the way it lunged at Maze. With lightning speed, the Black Balverine slid away, pushing up snow, but dodging the death trap of its opponent. Now faced with the white Balverines backside, she struck, met with the wondrous sensation of her obsidian claws slicing deep into the creature's back. Yowling, it turned, swinging its muscled arm at a wide arc. A moment too late, its target had jumped back to the center of the circle, safely out of its reach. Both didn't waste a moment. This time, the darker Balverine charged, displaying amazing speed that would have been too hard for the untrained human eye to catch. The other Balverine leaped into the air, avoiding the hit, but also hooked its deadly claws into the collarbone of the raven-colored Balverine, knocking it on its back.

"No!" Maze moved, but willed himself to hold back, for Will's sake. On her back, the ebony beast roared angrily, but knew that the snow white Balverine had the upper hand. Weakly, the darker challenger resisted, thrashing about with its one free arm. The other had been compellingly pushed into the snow with massive claws shredding past the thick black fur and agonizingly pushing against the collar bone to cracking point. Restricted by her pain, the pinned Balverine found it impossible to move her other arm without tearing her ribs apart from the immense weight. Dog-like whimpering noises escaped her throat, the automatic sound made by wounded animals. At the last moment of deciding to suck it up, the black Balverine swung its unhampered arm at the side of the white Balverine's muzzle, overlooking the hideous cracking noises produced from its own deteriorating body.

The weight crushing the Balverine's body was lifted promptly after the retaliating attack. Quickly, the darker cousin hopped to its feet, tail swishing, claws extended in defense. Reeling back, the colorless Balverine howled wildly at the blood cascading down the side of its cheek, forever tainting the white fur coating its body. The source of the blood mostly came from the bowl-shaped socket where a red eye was supposed to be situated. Now, it had burst and spilled its juices all over the white fur, mixing perfectly with the red color dominating the monster's face. Its remaining eye seemed as if ready to pop out of the other socket from the Balverine's rabid attempt to find its foe. Seeing her rival's momentary shock, she took advantage of it, rushing forward; body crouched low, with heavy breaths to accompany every push forward. The white Balverine noticed and tried to move its position. Pointed claws sank into the white Balverine's left shoulder, pushing it off balance and sending the two into a deadly tumble with claws and gnashing teeth, the swiftness of it all bewildering.

When the insane rolling had come to a stop, both creatures lay still on the snow, letting the wind ruffle through their thick coats of fur. The black hunk of fur on the snow moved first, pushing away blood dirtied snow from its resting spot. Wobbly and weakly, it stood, surveying its unmoving foe. Every step in the snow was like a million ton weights, ready to sink her and trap her forever in a perfect world of white. A massive paw was raised into the air, preparing to deliver the death blow to the unmoving ball of white blending with the snow. Inches from landing, a white blur intercepted the black claw, gripped it tightly and stood, growling. Its enemy struggled against the bone-crushing grip, but wasn't able to fight being lifted into the air, high above the white Balverine's head and thrown into an already broken house. Cracking and splintering wood exploded through the air, raining down, kind of how snow does itself. Before the wood covered black Balverine knew it, the speedy white blur had mounted her again. Being significantly larger than its challenger, the white Balverine had an advantage. Refusing to make the same mistake as last time, the black Balverine pulled back her legs and drove them with an amazing force into the creature's abdomen, with astounding suddenness.

Another howl was let loose as the creature fell back, but braced itself against the startling attack. Driven by a new force, the black Balverine shot forward, slashing with its deadly claws, tearing its enemy's ear to ribbons. The other dodged and got in a couple attacks of its own in. Due to the shattered bones in her paw from her opponent's vice grip, the ebony-colored Balverine hopped with a bad limp. Her canine-like whining came automatically now. It was time to use her much smaller size as a tool. Noting to avoid the white Balverine's teeth, the darker one ducked under the white Balverine's muscular structure and used her hind legs to fire herself up at the white Balverine's throat.

Will had often bit into many succulent varieties of meat on her travels. Each one had a distinct taste; to most people, it was just meat, but to her, it was a delicacy. Though, never had she fathomed she'd be sinking her teeth into a tough-skinned Balverine neck. Needless to say, it was much different from chicken meat; blood squirted out from the punctures deepening in the white Balverine's throat. Endless thrashing and slithering did not loosen the black Balverine's grip; its jaw had locked, only breathing heavily the scent of metal through its nose. Shutting its bright blue eyes and feeling the blood overpower her mouth; the black monster shook its head dynamically. No sense in being civil here. With one final wrench of her head, a meaty chunk of white fur, bright red flesh, and a section of the spinal column tore off the neck of the pale Balverine. Lips pulled back, blood slid down the pearly white fangs and dripped steadily onto the floor. Spitting out its prize, the black Balverine staggered away, looking to the sky and howling in victory at its fallen victim. The creature kept its head thrown back, letting out a fearsome sound that might have been able to chill the tired bones of traders miles and miles away, beckoning them to their knees. Amidst the dominant howling, a green mist formed and swallowed the entire horde of Balverines, including Will. Maze kept his expression utterly impassive, but even Terra could sense traces of worry associated with the creatures disappearing in the green mist.

The sun was barely peering over the horizon, but it did assist in illuminating the area, similar to a lighthouse in the darkness, alighting a new day. Casting a rosy orange glow over the bloody snow, the sun was slowly rising to its common place in the sky. A creak from behind them caused Terra's head to turn, her eyes meeting with the precautious eyes of the survivors. One by one, they inched out of their refuge, looking around wildly for any left over Balverines. The more cautious ones hung in the back, while the braver and less emotionally scarred ones took the front. Terra's head snapped back when a familiar groaning sound rose from the clearing mist. She kept an eye on the figure on the floor, which was stirring, but making no large movements. The girl stood expectantly, and then bolted into the emerald haze.

Broken limbs, bloody taste lingering in her mouth, there were so many things that could make this the best day ever! Too bad Will was dead or going to spend the rest of her life as an oversized, billion ton dog. Will hissed as she sat up on the cold snow, enjoying the sun's rays for a moment before settling on moving again. When finally able to wobble into the standing position, Will spat a fraction of the blood in her mouth out and pushed her thumbs against where her fangs should have been. To her delight, there were only, nice, human-sized teeth there. Feeling the happiness and relief well up inside of her, she rubbed her cheeks and body wildly, not grazing over a single ounce of fur, not even a patch. If it weren't for her beaten up state, she would've leaped ten feet into the air. Never had she been so thankful for her fleshy prison of a body, studying the mechanism of her fingers, flexing them and crooking them with unreserved enchantment. A gentle wind blew through Will's mussed up hair, her blue eyes went to the sunrise on the horizon, silently thankful.

"Will!" Arms waving wildly, Terra outstretched them, ready to capture Will in one of those friendly hugs.

"No!" Quickly, she shielded herself. Mostly, it was because she didn't want Terra slamming into her damaged ribcage. Also, Will hated hugs; she made that vow to not hug or be hugged a long time ago when she tried to thank Maze by hugging him. Completely ignoring her protest, Terra tried to hug over Will's protective arms, making it look more awkward than it should have been. Though, the archer was accustomed to Will's constant rejection of her displays of friendly affection. "Get away from me!" Will tried, grudgingly, with her two arms to push her away. Being blocked, Terra was only able to barely touch Will's shoulders with the tips of her pale fingers. That was enough to send light tinges of pain through her body. "Off!" Her companion complied, goading Will in admission of remorse. Terra coughed and with a small inclination of her head, she saw Maze standing a couple feet from them. "I am in _so much_ trouble." Grumbling complaints under her breath, Will stepped forward to receive her punishment.

Neither willing to look at each other, Will bit the corner of her lower lip and Maze lowered his head, eyes hidden from view. She gulped, trying not to breathe, feeling a rib poke precariously at her lungs, impairing her breathing process. It hurt more to stand still. Maze flung his hand up as if ready to strike the side of her face, provoking her to flinch back. In one swift movement, his fingerless gloved-hand tapped the back of her head and pulled Will in against his body. His other arm wrapped itself around her upper back. Will went stiff, kind of like how Maze did when she sprung this on him many years ago. Her arms remained down by her sides unmoving, restricted by his embrace. She expected to feel a ghastly pain in her ribs, but instead, it wasn't there. The white glow surrounding her body explained why most of the pain wasn't there. Little did he know, he was suffocating her by refusing to let go, also because she was so stiff against his hug. Finally, Will revoked her pride and relaxed, leaning her head against him.

"Idiot." He whispered.

"We're having a moment, can you not ruin it?"

**Start Flashback sequence**

_Splatters of light given off by the sun shot themselves at cold patches of grass on the floor, providing enough light to illuminate the entire Greatwood forest. One shadowy blur, decidedly a person, moved in and out of these said patches. The other stood, inert, monitoring the other's movements carefully until its case fell to the floor in a heap. Maze shook his head at the girl's poor form; her footwork would require some desperate training. On the grassy floor sat a girl, no more than nine, puffing out unruly hair from her face. Her hands were dirtied with wet mud that had splashed all the way up to her delicate pale face. _

"_A hero would sacrifice their own life to save another's." Maze pressed his fingertips against each other and strode away from his apprentice. He was on one of his rants again, and his vague nature was beginning to irritate Will._

"_Wait, Maze…" Will pushed her tiny body off the grassy floor and bounded after him, taking four steps for every two steps he took. "Why would I do that?" It was her life and she wasn't just giving it up for some random people in trouble. _

"_It's your choice Will." The reply was given without much hint of emotion, not meant to guilt trip her into anything really. When it truly came down to it, he couldn't influence her too greatly. ._

"_Can't I just look out for myself? You know, make sure I survive no matter what the cost?" Her thick, chin length hair blew softly in the morning breeze as she used the palm of her hand to wipe her slightly runny nose. She then looked up at her Master, who seemed struck by those words. His heavy footsteps ceased immediately and he stood pondering something that had almost nothing to do with Will, but with himself. The words that came from her mouth mirrored, well…him. _

"_What if…" Tired of standing, Will had, with difficulty, hauled her tiny body onto a broken fence to sit. Maze eyed her out of his peripheral vision to make careful sure she didn't fall back and crack her head on something. "What if I were dying, Will?" He wasn't expecting a very solid answer, especially from a child of nine, more specifically, from a child like Will. As a matter of fact, he asked that question absentmindedly because of the whirlwind of events clouding his thoughts. _

"_Then I'd save you!" Nodding, the girl wobbled to some extent, from the power of her answer, on her fence. Maze chuckled sadly._

"_Would you really?" Another inattentive question asked mostly out of amusement._

"_Of course!"A creak and a thump sounded from the girl leaping swiftly off her perch. The older hero stepped back in shock at the power behind her firm answer and how close to him she'd leapt, considering she was sitting quite far away. "I'd do anything!" The heels of her feet came off the ground, trying to overcome her small stature and make herself the same height. Will's eyes were wider than the full moon and her lips pursed tightly into a look of sheer determination. _

"_Why?" Though lacking sentiment in his voice, there was no doubt of interest. Will lowered herself and looked away. Childishly, she hunched together, hiding her mouth with the backside of her hand. Children. She doted on her answer, seeing his questioning glance._

"_Because you'd do the same." Hand removed from her mouth, Will recited her words with awe-inspiring conviction._

_Maze found himself at a thorough loss for words. He looked down at the blue-eyed child and felt something clench in his closed off heart. _

"_Right?" Seeing that her teacher had looked away, Will kept her feet planted and stretched her neck forward, tilting her head to try making eye contact. Her burning confidence still remained strong. The action prodded a smile from the old wizard and a sincere nod. "Swear?" _

"_I swear." Maze began walking again, with Will trotting along just behind him, kicking up leaves and making a nonsensical racket. _

"_I swear too then." The hero stopped, but didn't look back. Out of his apprentice's view, he felt a warm sensation creep over his face, turning into a full fledged beam. "Though, I don't understand why we have to come and train all the way out here…" True, the duo had trekked deep into the forest, away from any wandering traders or heroes. Now they stood in a clearing where Will generally practiced her will abilities. _

"_I don't want you destroying the entire Guild with your magic." Came the blunt reply. Will turned up the corners of her lips, feeling proud of her will-power. _

"_So you'd rather have me blow up a forest?" she frowned._

**END FLASHBACK!**

_I was always walking alone, Everyone was waiting_

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**Thanks so much for reading.**


	17. Author's message

Goodness. I haven't been here in a while. Now that I am here, I must say I'm utterly mortified at my writing abilities. I also knew I'd picked an obscure thing to write about too. I realize I had such a crazy obsession with this, I finished the whole fic. I so still love it, despite the fact that the world is loving on Fable two and three. Anyways, thank you people who made a good attempt to read. There really isn't too good of a reason for me to continue this besides my own guilty pleasure. PPFT.


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